The Paper Rose
by Red Moon Kree
Summary: Burning a paper rose should be just as easy as throwing away the memory of Malchior, but Raven can't let go without some answers. Will she gain the ability to finally forget him or find something else? MalchiorRaven COMPLETED
1. Prologue

_I had been waiting for the Malchior episode for months. !!!!!! Greatest thing that ever happened in Teen Titans._

_I'm all for Raven/Melchior, so here's my fic, set one month after the episode, Spellbound._

_Enjoy!_

_Kree_

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Ever since him, she buried herself more in her beloved books. However, they weren't not the orthodox books of fantastical heroes or horrific creatures: no, she would only read books of history, books of magic. Any piece of literature and writing that pertained to him.

She was searching for answers. He was on her mind almost every second of the day and she didn't know why. She was hoping that in studying his past, in studying his creation and evil, she would learn to forget him and possibly even move on. The wounds he had inflicted on her had become permanent scars and never ceased to torment her when she found herself alone. Poisoned with his image and drugged on his scent, she could still feel his paper arms around her. His soft, melodic words whispered through her ears in the night, beckoning her to the comfort of past memories. She was haunted by his ebony eyes and did not know if she wished to efface him from her mind forever or keep him close to her heart. There was too much pain in both options.

And it was only a month after.

The book would not become another item in Robin's collection. No, Robin did not need to be reminded of Malchior: he had been her responsibility. The book was carefully locked in Raven's chest where she could be aware of it at all times. During the first few days of Malchior's imprisonment, she expected to hear his voice calling from the book: it did not come. There was a strange mix of relief and disappointment she could not quite understand. Then again, she didn't understand anything with Malchior anymore.

She hated to admit that Malchior broke her heart. If he had broken her heart, that meant that she had been in love with him. She didn't do love. It was against the laws of nature. And she certainly could not believe that she would have loved such a heartless person… beast… whatever he was, such as Malchior.

A month had passed by and it seemed that everyone else in the Titans Tower had forgotten about the incident. For some time, Beast Boy couldn't look at her the same way. It was all because of that damn hug. She wished she could have taken it back; after all, the embrace had been out of her ultimate grief and the look on Beast Boy's face had not comforted her. Her friends knew she was heartbroken but all had had their share of torn emotions due to the cruelty of love.

Cyborg and Beast Boy played Stankball for about a week more until they got bored of it and invented a new form of mindless entertainment. Robin was too preoccupied with his search for Slade and Starfire was discovering the many joys of the beauty salon at the mall. Raven spent a month reading every book she could find on the subject and story of Malchior. Every moment she was not fighting alongside her team, she spent in her dark, desolate room, flipping through ancient pages of history. Straining her eyes in candlelight on cold, quiet nights, she crawled up on her bed and intensely studied every word. One finger pressed beneath a string of words, she would read one page, then the next, and the next. This one month had passed and she had completed all reading.

She had completed all reading and she found no answers.

This was a frightening and dissatisfying thought. Previously, she had been so confident that she would find the solution in her books. She had always been able to find the answers in her books, whether it had been a way to soothe her rage and irritation or a place to escape to in her solitude. Now that her books had left her as empty as she had been a month ago, she was helpless. There was nothing she could do. How was she to ever find peace?

It was well past midnight, she knew that much. As she peered into the never changing darkness, she shivered under the protection of her blanket. There was no motion in the Titans Tower; only the monotonous sound of the air slipping in and out of her lungs. Her hand lay lifelessly on the book she had recently completed. She closed her eyes in futile attempt to succumb to the blackness. Lately, she found herself praying for dreamless nights of serenity where she was free of all suffering. There was no burden in her slumber; just the secure feeling of nothingness. It was funny how before she wished she could feel anything but barrenness, and now it was ecstasy compared to the regret that strangled her.

It was impossible. There was no way she could will herself to sleep; not with so many unanswered questions. Her eyelids jolted open and the first thing she caught sight of was the chest. The chest with that damned book.

However, a new idea suddenly gave way in her head. With circumspect contemplating, she debated the consequences. There was obviously consequences, but perhaps this was the only way. Yes, perhaps it was the only way she could ever learn why she thought of Malchior day and night. If she was careful enough, there would be no consequences for her actions. She would keep her emotions under control. As long as she was in control, nothing could go wrong.

And it would only go on until she realized the answer. She could lock up the book again, lock up Malchior for good and go on with the rest of her life, truly content. Maybe, just maybe, she would even learn to hate him.

Pushing her covers to the side, she slipped out of her bed and awkwardly rose to her feet. Lighting a candle with some of the magic Melchior had taught her, she took the stick of wax and clasped it tightly in her fingers. Her footsteps were gentle and life, a graceful glissade across a dance floor, when her hand trailed the lock of the trunk. With the wave of her hand, the lock snapped open and clumsily collided with the floor. As she lifted the top of the chest, it groaned with a droning whine. There lay the white book bordered with jet-black designs at the bottom of the chest.

Her fingers trembled as they reached for the spine of the beautiful book. It was indeed, a gorgeous book. It was not afflicted with age and shimmered with the dim light of the fire. Levitating the candle in the air, she lifted the book out of the chest and held it in her lap for many a minute. She could not bring herself to open the pages again. She thought she would never have to.

But she had to. She had to feel the softness of the pages on her fingertips. She had to gaze upon the eyes of the young man she had become so enamored of. She had to hear his voice at least one more time if she was ever to find some answers.

A small sigh slithered from her lips as she opened up to the center of the book. The pages moved like magic under her fingertips, flying beneath her like sparks of fire. The torn page with coal colored eyes still remained, ever haunting, ever beautiful.

"Raven," a charming voice spoke her name with amusement and astonishment. "I did not think your delicate fingers would ever handle my pages again... To what do I owe this honor?"

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_Prologues are supposed to be short. The chapters will be longer._

_Please review!_

_Kree_


	2. Chapter One: Open Wounds

I have to admit that I was rather pleased to see how many reviews this story got… a little unexpected, but definitely pleased. I give my gratitude to everyone who has taken the time to read and review my story and hope that you'll continue to be somewhat faithful.

Also, I have created a C2 community, "Of the Darkness", for Raven/Malchior fics. Please email me at if you are interested in submitting your story to the archives.

Enjoy the next installment!

Kree

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There must have been circles under her eyes. Of course, she would not will herself to look into the mirror and see the hideous sight of her dreary face, but she knew of their existence. Splashing some water into her face and hastily brushing her hair in the middle of her room, she opened the door to her room with a wave of the hand, strolling out into the hallway.

The corrider was brightly lit by small, electric lights, though it was still early in the morning. She could hear voices in the central room where the kitchen was located. Apparently, most of her friends were already up. There was a strong scent of sausages in the air: apparently, she concluded, Beast Boy was not cooking this morning. Her deduction proved to be correct as she caught sight of Beast Boy heading out of his room. Dragging his feet into the passageway, his shoulders were stooped in his weariness. His mop of viridian hair had not been brushed, strands of hair going every which way and that. There were slits on his face in place of eyes, for his morning eyes were too used to the dark. He yawned, throwing his arms up high into the air and then finally noticed the violet haired girl walking past his bedroom.

"Hey Raven!" a sudden enthusiasm erupted from his empty shell and all of a sudden, he looked very energetic. "Dude, were you talking to someone on the phone last night? You woke me up at like two in the morning!"

She let two seconds of panic escape. However, those two seconds were all she needed to conjure a quick, believable lie in her own grim language. "Beast Boy, you know very well what a useless device the telephone is to me and how valuable _my rest_ is to my meditation," she retorted, and then feigned the best "Raven" fear she could possibly muster in her expression. "Oh dear God, have I been sleeptalking? You didn't hear what I said, right?"

"No, no, of course not," Beast Boy said quickly. "No doubt you're scared cause I might have heard you talking about what a cute funny guy I was, right?"

Raven blinked once with a mystical stare. "Beast Boy, don't push it," she said monotonously, continuing her stride down the hallway. Beast Boy began a series of incompetent chatterings but she easily blocked out the noise with the memories of the unusual night.

"Raven," his voice was just as beautiful as she remembered it. Only now, she could realize his true incentives buried deep in the inflection of his words. There were his coal black eyes, staring back at her from its position in the torn page. "I did not think your delicate fingers would ever handle my pages again. To what do I owe this honor?"

She bit her lip before she would answer him. "Honestly, I didn't think I'd have to look at these horrible pages ever again, but there are questions I must have answered. One of them includes why I am opening this book again."

"Well, I could certainly not answer that, my dear, for it is a question that plagues me at the present time, as I have expressed earlier."

"Malchior." Her voice was hard as she spoke his name with venom on her tongue. "I have thought of you and only you ever since I set you free. I have wasted a month over you and for what purpose? What have I to gain from your presence in my mind? I have not been able to meditate properly without speaking your name every few minutes!" she exclaimed angrily, hoping that the others would not wake up to the sound of her voice. If they knew she was talking to him...

"I'm flattered," he said simply, in a tone she found quite tantalizing.

"Why can't I stop thinking of you? I know what you are. I know what you did to me. So why can't I forget you?" She grit her teeth in infuriation, gazing deeply into the eyes of the one who had wounded her so greatly.

"Raven, how would I know of such a thing? You expect me to answer what I have no knowledge of."

"I will find these answers for myself by talking to you," she declared. "Every night, twice a day, every time I find myself in this room, however long it will take me to realize how worthless you really are so I can erase you from my head forever."

"You mean I can expect your company frequently now? Splendid! Raven, you spoil me." His delighted voice surprised her, driving her into uneasiness. She was not expecting him to be this happy.

"My company is hardly benediction to your cause, Malchior," she said stiffly. "Surely you must know that when my hatred for you can grow no larger, I will burn your pages, one by one, and watch the flames devour your life."

"My dear, this is hardly considered a life at all. To burn my pages would mean freedom from this terrible prison. Conversations with an intelligent girl such as yourself would only help pass the time more quickly and even provide me with amusement."

Intelligent. He had called her intelligent. Of course, her immediate instinct was to shake it off, interpret it as a device of deception. _He was lying. Just as he had lied to her before._ She would not let him fool her. She would not believe the wonderful things he would tell her. "Malchior, flattery will not work on me as it did previously. You have nothing to gain by pushing pretty words into my ears; I will not release you from this book."

"And I did not expect you to. Raven, I speak the truth when I called you intelligent. The women of my age were nothing more than empty headed cream puffs. You could compare the many of the male intellectuals of my era. I have found our conversations quite intriguing and I have enjoyed them."

She refused to respond to him. There: more compliments. He was telling her that he _liked_ talking to her and that he had found her interesting. She could not believe that he had given up all hope in escaping the book in which he was trapped in, nor would she accept this so called truth he was explaining. What were the motives, the stimulating plot hatching behind those black eyes?

"Malchior you have broken me beyond repair with your words of praise and approbation. You lied to me and broke my heart. I will not fall for your tricks again," she stammered, her voice hovering between the top and bottom of her throat.

"My sweet Raven." How could he call her that? How, after everything that had happened, could he continue to torment her with his charming personality? "I am sorry, truly sorry for what I said when I held you in my fist as a dragon..." he began. Did he honestly expect her to believe that. She could have laughed out loud in her disbelief had he not continued speaking. "But I must admit that I am not sorry for what I did to deceive you. You must have known that I had no other option. I've been trapped in a book for over a thousand years. What girl, in her right mind, would let a terrible dragon into the world? I had to make you believe that I was good man. I had to make you admire me. How else could I leave a world worse than death?"

"Then maybe you could have learned something from being stuck in the pages of a book for a thousand years," she hissed. "Maybe you could have learned that world domination just isn't worth it Then you wouldn't have to lie to me."

"Raven." Was that pain in his voice? "People hate darkness because they can't understand it. They're afraid of what they cannot comprehend. And if they fear, they can only hate. I am a very dark man. Am I evil? Yes, perhaps to many. But I thought you understood darkness. I thought you understood me. I guess I was wrong."

She could only repress her rage for so long. The red cloaked emotion was taking over her body, thrusting her into a fire of violent emotions. "You _are_ evil! You are an evil I don't need in my life, but your stench continues to linger in my life. You see that?" she pointed to the dresser under her mirror. There, on the empty, dark brown surface, was a single paper rose: the paper rose he had given to her the first night they had ever met. "I can't burn it, I can't tear up, or even throw it away. But I _will_ be able to one day, and I will enflame that stupid, paper rose and the memory of you so that you will never torment me again."

She began to panic: there was something wet, something pushing behind her irises and trying to break out into the open. Her head immediately jerked to the side so that the shadows sheltered her face. During that entire month, there had many times where she wanted to cry into her bed, releasing the tensions pulling at her heart. However, the knowledge of Malchior's inhabitants in her chest kept her from sobbing. She was never alone in her room and she did not want him to hear her cry. Not after what he had said to her before.

"I see now..." his voice trailed off into quietude. "My worth is in that paper rose. As of now, I am somehow agonizing you and until you find the reasons why, my life will be kept alive. But it will blaze in less than a moment for that is all it takes to destroy me. My, my, Raven. It's a wonder you don't understand me. I have come to figure you out very extensively."

"You do not understand me! You can never understand me!" She dropped her face into her delicate hands, slender fingers slowly spreading apart. "Look..." she trembled, her voice failing her at certain syllables. "Look what you have done to me."

"Like I said before. I had no other choice. I am sympathetic to your state but I have no regrets," he said coldly, his words a frigid mist searing the skin on her face.

She slammed the book and hurled it violently into the open chest. With the wave of her hand, the fire subsided and she threw herself into the comforts of her bed. Her pillows had been waiting a month for her tears, the blankets stretching out their arms to console the broken teenage girl. Her heart was a hysterical wreck, raging against her body like a mustang until it exploded... exploded into the mess of melancholy that overwhelmed her now. Malchior was listening, she was sure of that, but she didn't care. All she could do was cry.

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All right, I'll admit it wasn't as long as I hope it'd be, but it's still the beginning of the story. Bear with me. The next chapter, or the third one will be a normal length.

Anyways, thanks again to the reviewers. You guys never fail to make me feel happy.

Plz review!

Kree

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**Okay, this is an updated message to the reviewer, Amscray, and any others who are/will question the whole Malchior dragon thing. Yes, I _have_ watched the episode. I know he is the dragon. I'm just giving him a history in this story where he _was/is _a man. The next chapter is where you will find out more about that.**

**Kree**


	3. Chapter Two: The Man or the Monster

**I had an extremly busy week and this is the first day I was able to work on chapter two. I, however, was very comforted from my miserable days without writing by all of you who reviewed. Thirty-three (as of 7:31 PM, October 22) reviews for two chapters! "You spoil me." .**

**I just re-watched Spellbound and I'm going to watch "Wavelength" in about half an hour. Until then, I'll be writing chapter two and posting it up ASAP.**

**Thanks to all and enjoy this chapter!**

**Kree**

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She had a hard time comprehending the reasoning behind the fact that the white hard covered book was in her hands again. The night produced a thick blanket of warmth around her body, a comforting security she was all to used to. However, the darkness was penetrated by small specks of fire, hovering on myriads of candles positioned in a circle. The tiny lights surrounded a large, marble book stand, a beautiful piece of stone engraved with the designs of the ancient Elven race. She hadn't used this magnificent stand since...

The massive book lay in her lap for a few minutes. Her precise movements had caused her to hesitantly lift the book out of the chest. The entire process seemed to last an hour.

She couldn't believe she was still going on with this. Sure, it had been astonishing to open his pages for the first time after a month. But after yesterday's episode... there were so many emotions inside of her bursting to escape into the open. He made her feel so miserable yesterday, to a point where even some of her friends sensed her distrubance. From Beast Boy teasing her about the "extra gloomy" look on her face to the "are you feeling okay"s from Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin, she knew they could sense _something_ was up.

There was no other way. This was the truth: the only way she could eliminate him from her life forever was to continue with these painful talks until they did not hurt her any longer.

With a sigh, she slowly rose to her feet, a goddess of the night strolling through her kingdom. Her pace was a smooth glide across the floor, the book trapped close to her chest, the jail bars, her steady arms. She placed the lovely bound book on the dark stand with only the support of her fingertips. She decided she would stall no longer in thought and contemplation. There was no more time for hesitation: she neede to be rid of him as soon as possible. WIth a gentle sweep, her giners found Malchior's page with his never-changing black eyes.

"Y-you're back?" His tone, rising in surprise, was inflected with shock and even delight.

"I still need answers." Her manner was blunt and straightfoward. "Answers are more important to me than a few moments of irritation. Besides, none of this will matter or even be remembered when I burn you."

"Ah, so you're still intent on eradicating me. Well, I have little say in your actions," he paused, giving in too easily in Raven's eyes. "Now, I believe that during these conversing periods you have some sorts of questions to ask me?"

"Indeed," she nodded, setting herself down on the edge of her bed. She leaned back on two of her palms, her eyes locked on his. "I have read multiple accounts of your life... your beginning, middle," she stopped, biting her lip, "and your supposed end."

"Well, I must admit that I believe the most accurate account was one written by a man by the name of Partius Decimine. But even his-"

"Yes, I have read that one," she interrupted. "But I want _you_ to tell me your story."

"Would you be able to listen to my tale? Or more importantly, would you be able to believe me?" He asked in a saddened sort of voice.

"I read that you were once a man," she said quietly.

"Is that so? What am I now?"

"I don't know," her eyes trailed the bottom of the book stand. "Because you've convinced me that you're more like a monster."

Malchior was silent, a response that was normally uncustomary. He ignored her previous comment and somehow, she sense a thin layer of his discomfort. "Yes, I was once a man, a boy at the very beginning. I was born in the winter of 905 AD to Sir Matthais Du-Vera and Lady Lavinia Jamie of Nole. I was the elder child to one brother, one year younger than I. His name was Corven." His voice seemed almost sad as he told the story of his past, a one more like a lost fairy tale. "I was the son of a knight, as you know, and a rather rich one at that. My father wanted me to become a great warrior and follw in his footsetps. My interest, however, was not in the sword. I spent hours in my palace library, reading and studying, developing a dream in the fantasy world and a desire for magic... for power. At the same time, my brother trained to become the son my parents always wanted. My brother was showered with praise, attention, and affection. I was left to myself."

Raven, herself, did not understand sibling rivalry to the extent he had experienced. But she knew this envy. She knew how it felt to be overlooked by the ones she cared about. She hated to admit it, but jealous of various people such as Starfire, Terra, and even Jinx, had distressed her greatly. Perhaps she was beginning to comprehend Malchior.

"My parents did not think too much of me when I began trying simple spells from the books in the library at the age of eight. They were too busy obsessing over Corven." There was much contempt in his manner. "I had friends and knew of companionship in my early youth, but one by one, I chased them away with my dark personality. Bit by bit, I lost my trust in people."

"Not many wizards have been able to teach themselves the art of magic," Raven commented, tilting her head.

"Not many wizards were as powerful as I, my dear," he mused conceitedly, his cockiness causing her to twitch her top lip. No, she would not smile.

"A great war began when I turned ten. My father went to fight in the west. Before long, war ravaged Nole and my mother, brother, and I were on the run. my mother was killed by a fiery arrow as we fled. We could not go back to help her. Corven and I barely escaped with our lives I was with a terrible fever, unable to run for very long or conjury magic to aid us. I collapsed in the middle of the dense, Macramanian Wood. My brother left to bring me assistance. He never came back for me."

"Many books say your brother could not find you again."

"He abandoned me," he said coldly, his statement, bold and straight. "I lay there, helpless, on that cold, forest floor for hours, waiting for someone to find me. I realize that throughout my entire life, I have been waiting for someone to find me. Only the darkness has found me," he hesitated. "That night, the darkness shielded me from the beasts of that dread forest. In the morning, a water sprite by the name of Cloielle discovered me. She and her family nursed me bcak to health and adopted me. They taught me magic on more powerful levels as I grew with them. But they knew of the darkness in my spirint and feared the monster I would become. As I have found myself happy with the sprites at times... they failed to understand me. I left when I was thirteen to study with shunned wizards and learn the art of dark magic. Surely, I would be understood by those of my _own kind_." He said these words sarcastically.

"But you left them a little more than a year later."

"I learned quickly. They taught me all I neede to know. I left because I soon discovered that I was not physically strong enough to wield this magic. The fever long ago broke my body more than I had imagined. the power I sought would drain me of my energey until I was an empty husk. I learned that the hard way," he grimaced. "I was devastated. Magic was everything to me but I could pursue it any longer. The elder wizards could not help me. To them, I was just a weak, little boy," he laughed weakly, a pathetic sort of laugh. She could tell that Malchior found his past a bit too pitiful for a person of his self-confidence and ambition.

"I wandered the country side for about half a year. I would not give up on my magic. I would find a way to harness my strength and control my powers. I had no one, Raven, nothing by the magic flowing through my veins. I was terribly lonely," he sighed. "And to have someone love me for who I was... what I was... still meant everything to me."

_"If that was what you truly wanted, I could have done that," _ Raven thought miserably. This was not true anymore, she concluded. If it was, he wouldn't have betrayed her.

"One afternoon, I stumbled across a book in the bookstore in a Port Kafnah. I had little money and was in the worst economic states I had been in throughout my entire wandering. I was starving and tired, my clothes torn and filthy from travel. As I looked through the book, I knew that it must be mine. I paid for it and made camp in the nearby forest. In its pages, I found my salvation. This book held ancient spells that could not be performed by some of the most powerful wizards of my time, but I knew that I must try. It was my only chance to live the only dream I had ever had."

"You became the dragon." The words were barely whispers trickling from her lips.

"Yes, I took the form of a dragon. I succesfully performed the spell with the incantations while nearly killing myself. But I became stronger. There was a dragon inside of me, igniting a fire that kept me going. I had accomplished what no other wizard had accomplished for thousands of years. I had power but I wanted more. Power is a wonderful thing, but I wanted to be understood, respected and loved by people. I returned to my teachers to show them what I had done. I had expected approbation."

Her heart was beating wildly at the suspense of tale. She knew what had happened, she read it so many times. Why was she still so captivated by his story?

"I terrifed them, Raven. They were mortified. They attacked me and cast me out. I was confused. Didn't these people understand the darkness? Didn't these people understand me? It was then I knew that I could never be loved. I could never be understood. But I still had power, sweet Raven, I still had my magic."

He was fascinating. Brilliant, evil, ambitious, and fascinating. No, she her head turned to the side violently. How could she think such things? This man was _evil_. This man betrayed her. She felt nothing for him but hatred.

"I was a threat to everyone. Everyone was my enemy. I began my conquest, burning cities one by one. Yes... I liked to watch them burn..." his voice trailed off in reminisince. "I loved the lick of the flames and the sight of its continuous swaying. The smoke was as sweet as the perfume of rose petals to me and its ashes as soft as silk. I watched cities burn, I watched people burn, and I loved instilling fear. I had nothing before. Now, this world would be mine."

Raven bit her tongue to keep her from yelling out at him. No, she couldn't let what happened last night happen again. She needed him to keep talking.

"I went back and forth between dragon form and human form. No one suspected that I, a young man of fourteen or fifteen, would be the terrifying dragon torturing the land. I did this for two to three years, the entire world almost in ashes. They would soon surrender to my will and my leadership. Here and there, a few men tried their luck in slaying me, but I was too powerful. I reduced them to nothing in seconds, most of the time. One day," he laughed pathetically again, "Corven came to slay me. For the first time in years, I could not smite my opponenet. I let him attack me again and again but I could not fight back." His laugh became frigtening, chilling the nerves on Raven's skin. "I transformed back to reveal myself but even when he recognized me, he would not stop. I, on the verge of death, did what any beast at bay would do: I transformed back and killed him."

She trembled, shifting her eyes towards the wall to the right. There was not much left, she knew. There was not much left of his life.

"Rorek, one the remaining wizards of his time, came to kill me. As you know, he could not, but he trapped me in that damn book."

"Rorek... Rorek is dead, right?"

"Rorek is dead. He was human, not immortal. It's been over a thousand years. Unless he has an abnormal life span, I doubt he live to this day," he stopped. "And well, I've been here ever since, reading, waiting for you to free me, and you know the rest. And that, Raven, is the tragic story of my life," he declared bitterly.

"So I really was supposed to set you free?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, you were. What I didn't know was that I wouldn't be free for very long."

Raven chose her words carefully before she spoke. "I..." she moved a strand of her orchid colored her hair behind her ear. "I didn't think that you would be so human."

He snorted. "Yes, I'm still human even if I have a dragon in me."

"No, it's just that... everything about you..." she frowned. "It's all so justifiable," she suddenly changed her mind. "No, you've still done terrible things and I still think you're evil. I still think you could have overcome all of that and been-"

"Good? Raven I'd be surprised if there's an ounce of good still in me. Perhaps I've never even had any. Now," he started. "May I pose a question?"

"Depends on what it is," she eyed him suspciously. "I don't even answer my friends's questions too

often."

"Well, I've told you the story of my past. What of yours?"

"Haven't I told you this before?"

"You were about to, but you were called away on a mission just as you started. We never went back to it again."

"All right," she began, pausing between words. "I think I remember that. Okay," she stopped again. She couldn't believe that she was going to tell him all of this; her enemy. Then again, it didn't matter what she told him. He wouldn't be here long to remember it, if everything went as planned. "My mother, Arella, offered herself as the bride of Satan in some occult. She was raped by what she thought was a man, but was in actuality, a demon. Only when she saw the demonic appearance of Trigon," she hissed these words, "_my father,_ was when she opposed to the entire ideal. On the brink of suicide, a pacifist occult saved her and brought her to Azareth, another dimension."

"I remember a little of that."

"I remember telling that to you as well. And so I was born, a daughter of a human and a demon," she scowled. "I was raised by a woman named Azar and her followers, taught pacifism, and taught to control my emotions so the demon in me could not be awakened. I had to control my emotions to stabilize my powers as well. I learned the art of healing and how to properly meditate for hours at a time," she yawned. The night was certainly getting to her.

"You've told me of your powers before... how you're forbidden to feel emotions in fear of your powers going haywire. It's still a concept that intrigues me."

She nodded. "They told me not to leave Azareth. In Azareth, I would have complete control over myself and never unleash the evil within me. If I remained out of social contact with other people, I wouldn't have to worry about... losing myself. This may have been true, but I always felt like I was missing something. Even though I knew that this was as whole as I could possibly get without being dangerous, I decided it was worth finding something else. I left Azareth when I was thirteen and arrived in Jump City. The first day I got there, I passed by a bank when two masked men with bags and bags of money burst out of the front doors. They jumped into a car and sped away. I saw Robin and Cyborg chase after them so I grabbed the car with my powers. The robbers were captured and Robin and Cyborg invited me to the Titans Tower. So I became friends with those two boys and got rather attached to Robin. I admired him for his charisma and his confidence," she yawned again. "So when Starfire came along, I felt a little uneasy, perhaps even a bit jealous. This passed fairly quickly, however. We found Beast Boy fighting the Amazing. Mumbo by himself and invited him to the team."

"Thus begins the Teen Titans..." Malchior mused.

"Yes. We became the Teen Titans. We protected Jump City from evil villains and that whole ordeal. We protected each other from ourselves. From Slade to Brother Blood, from Trigon to my own fears, from Robin to Terra..."

"The rock girl?"

"Yeah, Beast Boy's ex-girlfriend."

"You were not particularly fond of her from what I remember."

"You're remembering right. I respect her for her ultimate sacrifice in the end, despite her betrayel, but I never liked her much." Raven knew that she had been jealous of Terra, a major factor of her dislike for the blonde haired girl. She quickly began speaking to rid of herself of certain memories at this moment. "Then I met you, and well, we really don't have to go into that," she said through her yawning.

"It looks to me that you're going to drop dead asleep in just a matter of time," he observed, mid through her yawn.

"Yeah, well I think you're right," she held her arms up in the air, stretching in her weariness. She slipped off the side of her bed and brought her hand to the cover of the pale colored book. Malchior would not watch her sleep. As she began to close it, she heard him speak one last time.

"Good night, Raven," he said to her kindly, and she inhaled deeply as she slammed the book.

Malchior would not charm her. He could not fool her like he had done before. Raven would not fall for his kindness and his amicabillity. Malchior was evil. Yes, he was evil, she thought to herself as she lay her head on her pillow. Malchior was evil. She pulled up her blankets and wrapped it around her slender body, yearning for the soft comfort of the fabric. Malchior was evil. She closed her eyes and drifted into slumber.

Malchior was evil.

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

"Raven, have you been talking to him?"

The question obviously thre her aback as she sipped her herbal tea. She almost choked as the hot liquid gushed down her throat, its overwhelming scent soothering her nerves simultaneously. Its strong concotion filled the room with the bittersweet perfume of Azerthian flowers and tea leaves. As she sat at the kitchen table in the central room of the Titans Tower, she felt all the eyes of her friends on her, waiting patiently for an answer. She knew they were trying to interrogate her in a friendly way about an issue that was serious and extremely hazardous. She wished that her actions had as good intentions as theirs.

Their concern was well justified; she should not be talking to Malchior. She should not endagner the lives of her friends and the people of Earth by conversing with this evil wizard. Yes, she was being horribly reckless but she would not fall for his tricks again. Of course, her friends would never believe this. The only thing she could possibly do was lie.

"Talking to him?" Raven asked with feigned confusion. "By any chance, you can't possibly mean _Malchior_!"There; by turning the accusation on Robin, she had been able to sound more believable. The art of deception was one she had mastered very well.

"Well, we've all heard you talking in hte middle of the night," Robin explained.

"Dude, I haven't been able to get a decent night's sleep with you yapping all night long!" Beast Boy tugged at the sides of his hair.

"No, Malchior is securely locked in the chest in my room," she lied. "Perhaps... I've been sleeptalking? I remember telling this to Beast Boy a week ago. That would be the only explanation I could think of."

The others were still not convinced. "Ray, it's been more than a month since that whole Malchior business," Cyborg began, his voice gentle and reassuring. Cyborg was like a brother to her and she hated lying to him about all of this. She swallowed hard as he started to speak again. "We understand if it's still hurting you. The guy hurt you real bad. We just don't think you should be talking to him again."

"Cyborg," she said calmly, looking him in the eye. "I haven't talked to him. I may have been tempted to in the first week, I must admit, but not anymore. Yes, he still haunts my dreams, especially in the last week," she pretended to shudder. "But I would not bring myself to speak with him again. Not with all the consequences."

"Friend Raven, I weep for your broken heart!" Starfire threw her arms around her, causing the violet haired girl to flinch towards the back of her chair.

"So, you're not talking to Malchior anymore?" Robin questioned again. Raven wondered what was going on in those eyes of his, always hidden behind his black mask.

"No," Raven said confidently. "I am not talking to Malchior. Now," she rose from the table, pushing the gray chair a few inches back. "I must head to the roof for my morning meditation session."

"All right, we'll see ya later then," Cyborg gave half a wave while stuffing his face with pancakes.

She hurried to the double doors leading out of the main room and opened them with a wave of her hand. With that, she let the two doors close and swing aimlessly for a few seconds; she did not go through them. Instead, she stayed by the side of a wall where she was not visible to her friends sitting at the kitchen table. Yes, she was spying on them, but she had no choice. She needed to know what they were up to.

"Beast Boy, turn into a fly an go into Raven's room in the middle of the night," Robin ordered, his words very hushed and cautious. "I'd hate to invade her privacy and spy on her like this, but we've got to check up on her. We can't let her get hurt again."

Raven almost last at the irony as she teleported to the top of the roof. So she would have extra company in the dark of night? Well, she would be ready..."

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

"So your green skinned friend will be spying on you tonight?"

"Yes," Raven made a nodding movement as she lay in her bed. "He'll be coming in as a fly, so you'll have to shut up so I can listen for his entrance. I have to convince them that I've been sleeptalking rather than talking to you for a week."

"Well it's not very comfortable lying under your pillow," his muffled voice protested.

"That's too bad. I'm not all for your welfare."

"Raven, I'm _suffocating_," he whined.

"Books don't breathe, dear Malchior," she scorned.

"Well, if they could, I would be dead by now. Besides, your head is smashing me."

Raven chuckled but she suddenly heard a low buzzing outside her door. She instantly fell silent and closed her eyes. He positioned her hand on one of her three pillows and waited for the fly to slip beneath the cracks in her door and fly towards her. Malchior had probably noticed her abrupt silence as well and decided to shut up for the few required minutes.

She began to toss and turn, going from one side to the other, groaning silently as she continued to show discomfort. "How could you do this to me?" she moaned softly. "Why did you lie to me, Malchior? Why are you doing this to me?" she cried, kicking her blankets from side to side as she turned. Her bed began a tornado of sheets and blankets, going every which way and that. She was about to say something else but she felt her blanket creeping back to a standard position.

There was someone standing above her; no doubt it was Beast Boy, but why was he bringing the covers back around her shoulders. He heard him sigh and then to her surprise, she felt his fingertips carress against the side of her face. His hands were warm, and soft to the touch, and he moved a strand of her hair away from her cheek.

"Raven," she heard him whisper. "I hope your heart will heal soon from the wounds he has given you."

All of a sudden, she wished she really _was_ asleep.

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -**

**All right, so this is a longer sort of chapter. It's still pretty short by my standards, but I've got that whole long conversation with Raven and Malchior in the beginning and I couldn't exactly start the whole plot in this chapter. Well, I had to at least get Malchior's history out so you could understand everything else.**

**Once again, if you guys have any stories that are Raven/Malchior and want to submit them to my C2, **

**"Of the Darkness", please email me at **

**Plz review!**

**Kree**


	4. Chapter Three: The Great Performers

**Ah, you'll have to forgive me for not bringing myself to write this more quickly. I barely have time anymore, keeping up with homework, school sports, my regular fiction piece, which I must admit, has a little more priority, and any other crap the week tends to bring me. **

**Anyway, I'm hoping to get this chapter out by the weekend of Veterans Day. I've put this in front of everything for now so I can get it out of the way and to avoid anxious readers coming up and killing me.**

**So, we've got chapter three and there's still not much happening. Chapter four is where I bring in the main plot. Hope you like this chapter anyway.**

**Enjoy!**

**Kree**

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A whole month of this had gone by rather quickly. She didn't expect it to take this long, but in truth, she was enjoying these talks. That was something she silently cursed herself at. One part of her found it completely revolting that she took pleasure in her association with evil but the other was thrilled with his company. She had forgotten how understanding Malchior was and how similar the two of them were. She always kept in mind, however, that she was going to destroy him, sooner or later, but that did not keep her adoration for him from proliferating, day by day.

It was very strange, extremely unexpected, to have these talks cure her in a way unimaginable. Yes, eventually, she was determined to hate him and forget him but for now, there was no pain. The month passed by leisurely and she could live and sleep in peace. She was not afflicted with tormenting memories nor was she tortured by his essence in any way. He was still on her mind, that much was true, but she had come to accept his overwhelming presence in her everyday life.

Raven began to ease back into reading for her own entertainment. Her novels of fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery provided further relaxation, a state that used to be very foreign to the shaken Titan. This unusual manner of leisure caused her to interact with her friends more amicably than ever before. She became more focused in meditation and in the battles she fought alongside the Titans. In a very odd way, she had been happy. Maybe happy was too strong a word, but she was at least very content with life and the way it had been going.

After the crazy incident with Mad Mod, all she wanted to do was sink into the central room couch and read. She had just started a book series called "Dragonlance" with a total span of over ninety novels. So far, she found the first few intriguing and was pleased to have such a wide variety of stories to keep her occupied for many months.

Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Robin were playing videogames beside her. Though their cheering and yelling was sometimes earsplitting and loud, she hardly found them distracting. They did not bother her as much as they did before so she found no difficulty concentrating on the plot of this book. With one final hoot and a shout, she heard the crash of cars overwhelm the sound system. An uncustomary cry of victory slipped from the mouth of Robin into her ears. She found herself smiling at his unbridled bliss as she turned the page with the tips of her fingers. Suddenly, Raven closed the thick, paperback books gently and placed it to her side

"Move over, Cyborg. I'll beat you all," Raven motioned with her right hand. With wide eyes, the boys passed a controller over to Raven, staring at her with dropped jaws for many a second. "Well?" she said with a tilted head. "Are we going to play or what?"

"Raven," Beast Boy's voice was filled with disbelief, even as he spoke her name. "You _never_ play video games."

"Yeah, well I'm playing now," she shrugged.

"Well just because it's your first time doesn't mean we'll go easy on you," Cyborg mused as he elbowed her.

"And just because you're a guy doesn't mean I won't go easy on you," an urthodox grin of competition stretched out across her face.

So the racing games began with the four friends yelling and shouting just as before. True, Raven never set her hands on a controller before but she had watched them play many times. She got used to the controls very quickly; after all, she spent most of her life meditating to obtain it. To the boys' surprise, she won the first few games and then came in second the next few. Although she did not cheer as joyfully as her fellow Titans, she came close to laughing a few times and she even smiled. Finally, after about ten rounds of racing, she set down the controller.

"All right, I'm too good for you guys. I'm gonna read my book now," she said as she unplugged her

controller with her powers. She turned around and started walking towards her seat at the end of the coach, picking up her book with her right hand.

"So I guess the dreams have stopped?" Robin asked during the pause between racing.

"Dreams? What dreams?"

"You know, the Malchior dreams."

Her heart froze. That's right, she had told them that about a month ago. How could she be so stupid to not remember that lie? "Yeah, they've stopped," she nodded. Was that wise to say? What if they heard her talking in the middle of the night to him again? What would she say to that? "I started this book series, Dragonlance, and it's got over ninety books in it. It's kept me busy and it should keep me busy for awhile. I guess I didn't I have to think much about him while reading."

"Yeah, we figured you were feeling better. You're acting a lot more cheerful lately," said Cyborg.

"And you _never_ act cheerful," added Beast Boy.

"Well, Beast Boy, I never played video games either," she said with a small smile. If only they knew what drove her happiness.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"As far as I know, Robin hasn't liked any other girl but Starfire."

"And what about of the Tamaranean girl?"

"She's had her share of glomping over Aqualad and some other Tamaranean guy but she's madly in

love with Robin."

"Glomping?" Malchior's voice was inflected with confusion. "What sort of action is this?"

"Oh, it's like drooling infatuation and staring, something only girls would understand," Raven smirked.

"Raven, I have a very feminine side. I presumed that you would be familiar with it by now."

"You know," she began, holding back the pleasure from her expression. "A lot of women would have found that kind of personality extremely attractive."

"My dear, I lived in the real world. I did not have time for alluring young maidens for my own entertainment or emotional desires. Now," he hesitated. "What about your changeling friend?"

"Beast Boy? Well the guy used to try to pick up girls all the time... until Terra. He really liked that girl and she liked him too. He's never really gotten over her completely since she was turned to stone," she explained. "Beast Boy is pretty good at pretending but I could still tell that he's been hurting for a long time."

"He's not the only one who's putting on a masquerade if I'm not mistaken. Your friends still don't know about me?"

"They would not approve of this. You know that," she cocked an eyebrow. "You're still the paper man that became the dragon that tried to take over the world."

"And the one that hurt you?"

"That would be correct," she winced in her seat on the bed.

"So, what about the mechanical man?" Malchior posed after a brief silence.

Although she was thankful for the change of topic, she wasn't pleased with the next name that spluttered from her mouth. "Jinx. Cyborg likes Jinx. Not only is she an enemy, she's a bitch," she pursed her lips to keep back her revulsion as hard as she could. "And they both like each other too. Cyborg denies it, of course, but I've seen him sneak out to meet her."

"It sounds like everyone has liked some sort of enemy except for Robin and Starfire. Forgive me if I am mentioning our relationship in false terms."

"No," she shook her head, her voice small and quiet. "No, that's all right." She did not like him knowing that small truth.

"What about you, Raven? Have you had a decent share of lovers?"

She knew he asked a question he already knew the answer to. Indeed, she was curious of his intentions and she could not decide whether or not to reveal secrets she had let her voice run away with. Biting her bottom lip in hesitation, she swallowed before beginning to speak. "No. It is extremely dangerous for me to love and to express such emotion. I am quite attached to my friends at Titans Tower. I've admired Robin as a strong and brave leader. I always have since the first time I met him. Cyborg has always been like a brother to me and I can always count on him. Perhaps..." she looked to her right and stared up at the wall. "Maybe I have liked Beast Boy a little. Those feelings sort of died down after Terra though."

"So you _do _trust me enough to tell me this."

"Not exactly, Malchior. After all, who are you going to tell? Sooner or later, you won't even be around. Telling you is like," she paused with a small smile, "talking to a book."

"Oh, my dear Raven, I should hope that I'll meet my fate later rather than sooner."

"Only time will tell," she fell back onto her bed, her body sprawled across the mattress as she stared up at the ceiling. She yawned and closed her eyes for a few seconds until she heard Malchior's voice in a very unorthodox tone. Quiet, yes, but uneasy. Noticeably perturbed.

"Raven, could I ask you something?"

"Yeah?" she answered, her heart losing control of its steady beat.

"Do you think I could ever come out of the book? I mean, just as the paper man. Just for our talks."

She let out a chuckle of no emotion. She did not know how to reply and found herself unleashing her awkwardness in misleading ways. "Next you'll be wanting me to free you into the world. You know I couldn't do that."

"You can't blame me for trying," he tried to sound upbeat but Raven sensed his disappointed. His anxiety almost disturbed her, slicing a piece of her heart she could barely feel. She sat up again and faced his black eyes on the book stand. Clasping her hands together, she crossed her legs in a meditating position. Of course, she had no intention of meditating, but she found his stance comforting. "If only we had met in a different time, a different place," Malchior suddenly sighed.

His statement iced her skin all over and violently shook her heart. Her mouth opened and closed several times but no words came out. Finally, after about the fifth time, she mustered out a, "what?"

"I always liked you, Raven. I've never felt this way about anyone. But I knew that you could probably never accept me after what I did to you. It's a shame we couldn't have met somewhere else."

"Well, Malchior," her voice was hardly above a whisper. "I really liked you too. That, I will admit. But I could never like you again because I know what you really are. I know of your goal and that makes you my enemy."

"So, you wouldn't love someone because of what they are?" he questioned.

"No," Raven winced. "That's not what I meant. You're just twisting my words around."

"No I'm not. You said you couldn't like me because I was some evil wizard, or rather, terrible dragon that tried to take over the world. Even though I don't much of a history with love, I've been taught that you fall in love in _who_ they are, regardless of _what _they are," his voice, a graceful glissade.

"You know, being an "evil wizard" or "terrible dragon" must have some traits in your being that also repel me. Ever think about that?" she crossed her arms.

"I'd hate to argue with you, even though I must dissent. We haven't quarreled since the very beginning."

He was right, and she felt the exact same way. No altercation had ever existed except the first time she opened his book. She didn't want to start now and let her emotions run wild again like the last time. So she took a deep breath and got up on her feet. "Good night, Malchior," she reached for the book on top of the dark stand.

"Good night, Raven."

The book pressed against her chest, she raised one hand to levitate the book stand back to its proper place in her dimly lighted room. She walked to the trunk, the Malchior's second prison and carefully placed the book at the bottom. Locking it quickly and then hurrying towards her bed, an object on the table caught her eye. The paper rose lay on top of the surface as it had for almost two months. She reached for the object that once meant all the love she could possibly need and now was a symbol of impossibility. With the paper rose in her hand, she dug her legs under the covers and let her head rest into her multitude of pillows. Her eyes were locked on the ceiling now as she twirled the paper rose in her fingers to the right and to the left.

It seemed as if the paper rose had wrapped its thorny stems around her heart and continued to thrive on her emotions. If this continued, the results would be disastorous. She needed to move on, get over him, hate him, and then forget him. The paper rose must be burned. If she could not accomplish her mission, Malchior could fool her again. Malchior might seduce her and force her to unleash him into the Human world-

And most importantly, she might end up hurt again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_It was dark except for the bursts of blinding fire that erupted every few seconds or so. In this short and excruciating light, she could see two boys in the midst of a great wood. The sylvan area seemed to collapse on top of the two small children as they huddled together. Earsplitting screams and vigorous yelling created a dreadful aroma of blood and death. Footsteps stomping through the woods were at a great distance, but they thundered the earth, creating much trepidation._

_A skinny white haired boy of ten lay in the arms of his red haired companion. The poor child was shaking with fever, beads of sweat running down his terror-stricken face. His white hair flew from side to side as he tossed and turned in the other's arms._ _The boy's eyes were clothes but his distressed expression was intense and painful._

_"I have to go find help for you or you'll die," said the red haired boy as he set the sickened boy on the ground. He stood up and started running through the woods, farther and farther away. "I'll come back for you, Malchior, I'll come back!"_

_But as the red haired boy ran the darkness consumed the other child as he lay at the brink of death. Only a few seconds had passed until a young, teenage boy with white hair stepped into the light with a brown pack on his back. It was the same boy, but a few years older. Behind him stood a crowd of water sprites, watching him leave the village that began to materialize around them. But instead of tears of sadness in their eyes, an astonishing mixture of fear and relief overwhelmed their composure. The images and people she saw began to blend in color and shape until she saw the same boy, a year or two older._

_But the younger Malchior looked much different. Skinny, he was, but his long white hair was sloppy and dirty. He wore filthy rags torn every which way and that. His face was gaunt and he looked as if he were to topple over and die at any moment. She watched him walk in the devoid atmosphere, his head hung in his loneliness, but his feet forever moving in his quest for existence. The blackness began to dissolve into an actual setting and she finally realized that he was at a book shop. The boy was focused on an old, tattered book, and was turning the pages with carefulness at a rather quick pace. His coal black eyes ignited with excitement as he looked at one page to to the other. _

_That's when the scene dissolved again and there stood Malchior, sixteen or seventeen years old. A background of black and the teenage boy all alone seemed to be quite fitting to the dark wizard. No longer did he wear torn up and beaten clothing. He wore polished silver armor that gleamed with a magical aura. In the center of his majestic chestpiece was a large "M". A long, ebony scarf meandered through the air. His long pale colored hair was neat and clean and danced with the wind as he stared off into space._

_There were his recognizable black eyes with three small lines trailing the bottom. She knew the story, knew the beginning, middle, and end. She knew that at this point of his life, he was the most powerful and feared wizard (or dragon) alive. However, her certainly didn't look like he was too pleased. She could not see the expression his mouth portrayed, but his eyes... his eyes still held the same loneliness, the same hopelessness it previously had._

Her eyes suddenly flared open but not with the same horror her dreams of him usually caused. For the first time, she had seen Malchior as a man. The last time she had looked through the pictures of his book, she had thought that Malchior was the good wizard. After she found out he was the dragon, she figured that illustrations were of _Rorek_, and not of Malchior. However, the man that she saw in her dreams looked very similar to the one she saw in the book. She was a bit confused, but also overwhelmed.

She had seen Malchior. She had seen what he looked like, his face, his hair, his body. Her heart pounded with an awkward kind of excitement.

It was morning, although she wasn't quite sure what time it was, although she knew it wasn't too late. As she slid off her bed, throwing her arms up into a yawn, she walked over to the closet beside Malchior's chest. She crossed both of her arms across her body, causing her closet doors and the chest to open to her command. The book flew over to the stand and opened to its proper page. The stand moved towards the center of the room as did a small stool simultaneously. "Azareth, Metrion, Zynthos," she said quietly, and dozens of paintings and drawings flew out of the room, assembling themselves in a large circle. Her artwork was of his memorable, black eyes and his terrifying form as a dragon. Several times, she tried to draw what she thought he might look like but most of them were failed attempts.

At last, she picked up a large easel with her hands and placed it in front of the stool. There was already a large white board and a set of paints and brushes placed on the easel. She dipped the brush into a small case of water and then into the paint. The brush moved across the white board like a figure skater on ice.

"May I ask what drove you to paint at such an early hour?" Malchior asked and then paused. "And are all of these pictures of me?"

"I had a dream," she said in response to his first question in a monotonous tone. "And yes, these are of you."

"I'm flattered. I've never actually seen myself in art before."

"Nor have I. There are not too many pictures in history and fantasy books of you as a human."

"So what are you painting now?"

"You as a human."

"I thought you didn't know what I looked like."

"I don't," she replied. "At least, not for sure. I dunno..." her voice trailed off. "I had this dream about you and for the first time, I saw you as a human. I'm just painting what I saw in my dream."

"Now I'm extremely flattered. I was in a maiden's dream. Presumably, this was no nightmare, right?"

"Don't push it, Malchior," she grit her teeth, her brush swaying right to left.

"Could I ask you what I looked like in this dream of yours?"

"You had long white hair and black eyes," she said without hesitating in her artwork. "Grayish skin, kind of like mine. The oldest version I saw of you had silver armor with a large "M" in the chestpiece and a black scarf around your mouth."

"Well that certainly does sound like me," he mused.

"How come you look like Rorek in your book?" she asked, keeping her eyes on her painting.

"I changed a lot more than names in this book. I changed all the pictures of Rorek to look like my appearance. If you had looked through my pages after you locked me up again, you would have seen the book in its normal state. Rorek looks much different than I. Some would say a lot more handsome. Personally, I don't see what's so attractive about golden locks and deep, cerulean eyes-"

"There are some pictures in your book where you as the "good wizard" had blue eyes," Raven interrupted.

"Ah, the one thing I could not change about Rorek's pictures was the color of his eyes."

Raven nodded but she didn't say anything after that. She was too busy trying to recreate the image of the young teenager she saw in her sleep. She worked quickly, painting Malchior from his head, downwards. She left the features of his face blank, forming the background with dark colors before bringing her brush to his face. After perfecting his tall slender body and the intricate details of his garments, she formed his nose with a small, thin brush and the started on his eyes. She painted his eyes just the way she saw them in her dream: filled with all the pain and suffering he had experienced in his life.

She was done after an hour or so and she turned the easel around to show Malchior what she had finished. Quite honestly, she was proud of this piece of artwork, though she felt a little awkward about painting this magnificent picture of him and then showing it. "So," Raven took a deep breath, stretching out her arms. "What do you think?"

He did not answer for quite some time. "I'm thinking how fascinating it is that I somehow got into your dream. Truly, Raven, that is what I looked like, though I had no idea I looked so depressed..."

"Then this _is _what you look like."

"Yes. At least, it _was_. I don't think I'll be coming out too often anymore."

"And I'm guessing you prefer your dragon form all and all?" Raven raised an eyebrow.

"I think my dragon form is rather sexy."

She pointed one finger at the book and shut it with her powers. She did not want him to see her grin at his cockiness. Pushing the book stand away with levitation, she stood up and headed for the door. The painting needed to dry so she decided to leave the board on the easel. She grabbed her dark blue cape and swung it around her shoulders. Opening her bedroom door with the wave of her hand, a familiar green figure fell onto the floor of her room.

Beast Boy landed on the ground with a loud thud. He groaned as he lifted himself up with his two hands and rubbed his bruised chin.

"Beast Boy, what exactly were you doing at my door?" she placed on hand on her hip and leaned to the side.

"Uh," he nervously clasped his fingers. "Robin told me to bring you down to breakfast. I heard you talking so I leaned in for a second and-" he suddenly caught sight of the paintings floating in her room and his eyes grew wide. "What is that?"

"They're paintings," Raven replied bluntly, trying to block his vision with her body.

"But they're all of..." his voice trailed off and then he pointed a finger at her. "You've been talking to that monster, haven't you?"

"What are you talking about, Beast Boy?" she inquired innocently in a hard kind of voice.

"You've been talking to Malchior all this time! You've been talking to that creep!" He yelled. "I can't believe you would lie to us all this time! What did he promise you this time? A seat of power in his conquest over the world? Or was it hugs and kisses?"

"All right, so I painted a few pictures of him. It's just a way for me to release all my emotions," she scowled, clenching her fists.

"No, Raven, you lied to us! I don't see how I could even trust you now that you're in league with a monster."

"I'm not hungry." Raven stepped back into her room and slammed the door. With her back against the cold, stone door, she slid to the floor, sitting with her knees up. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she let her head drop.

What did she want? True, once before, all she wanted was someone who understood her and someone she could talk to. She thought she had found that person in Malchior and learned that she was wrong. Many times she longed for the admiration and understanding of her friends. Whose acceptance did she want now, her friends' or Malchior's?

She needed to meditate.

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**All right, so it's still not as long as I hoped it would be but I'm glad I got it done by the date I specified. **

**I know it's been a long time since I've last updated but I thank you for your patience and hope you're all still alive. p**

**Please review!**

**Kree**


	5. Chapter Four: Sagira the Ageless

**I have to apologize: it's pretty hard for me to find the time to write this fanfiction, but I will get this done! I'm sorry that you have to put up with such long intervals of writing.**

**I made a reference to the episode, "The Beast Within". I thought that "the Beast Within" was such a touching episode so I couldn't help but mention it. Although Malchior/Raven is at the top of my list, I find Beast Boy/Raven very entertaining as well.**

**I wanna finish this chapter so that it appears on Christmas least. Gotta get to work!**

**We'll see if that ever happens.**

**Enjoy!**

**Kree.**

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"Beast Boy claims that you've been talking to him," Robin began sternly, staring straight into the eyes of the apathetic half demon girl.

"To whom?" she asked with feigned confusion. This was getting a little old.

"To Malchior."

She had a gut feeling that she had already known what this was about. Robin had called the Titans to an emergency meeting in the living room and now they assembled in front of the TV on the couches. By the look on their faces and Beast Boy's refusal to acknowledge her presence, she deduced fairly easily that they incident this morning had not been kept a secret. She had prepared herself for this scenario and had everything set up right after Beast Boy stormed out of her room. The stage was read y but was she willing to lie to her friends again?

"No," her voice was even and calm. "I have not been talking to Malchior. Quite honestly, this question has become rather tiring."

"We'd hate to probe into such personal issues…" Robin winced, "but Malchior is very dangerous. And maybe he could be a friend to you now, he's still an enemy to us until he's proven otherwise."

"Beast Boy has told us of the voice he heard in your room this morning," Starfire moved closer to Raven's side.

"And it's not the first time either," Beast Boy interrupted. Raven would not give him the icy glare he was expecting. She had to play the part.

"We've all heard voices coming out of your room for several weeks," a contorted line shaped Cyborg's lips.

"Raven, we just wanna know if you've been talking to him," Robin crossed his arms, his voice strong yet sincere.

"I'm afraid…" Raven stammered, staring out the massive windows the led to a moonlit city view. "I'm afraid that I've burned him a few nights ago, actually…"

"But you were talking to him this morning!" Beast Boy jumped to his feet, flailing his arms in the air. "I know it was his voice! I could never mistake it for any other creep!"

"Well, I think you just did," Raven added a slight of irritation into her manner. "The _creep _I was talking to was a priestess from Azareth. I've been trying to keep in contact with some old relations more than usual because my mother has been sick…" she sighed. "I didn't feel like telling you the truth because I didn't want to distress you with burdens I had to go alone."

"That's a lie!" Beast Boy exclaimed turning from one Titan face to the other. "She hasn't been talking to them, she's been talking to Malchior."

"Beast Boy, would I lie about my mother?" _On the contrary, I suppose I would._

"Maybe not, but you'd certainly lie about Malchior," Beast Boy sneered.

"Then let me rephrase," Raven's eyes searched for the right impression. "Would I lie to you?" Her voice was almost mesmerizing when it lowered to that of the softest silk. Deep inside, a soup of guilt stirred inside as she continued to blatantly lie to her friends.

"Raven, that trunk in your room… that's where you keep Malchior, right?" asked Robin. She nodded, turning her glance from her friends. "Do you think you could show us the inside of this chest?"

"Sure, although I don't what good it would do to show you," Raven stood up and motioned her friends towards her bedroom. "You'll probably just think I moved it somewhere else."

The Titans got to their feet and hurried behind Raven as they headed for the exit out of the main room. As the two automatic doors hissed swiftly to their designated side, the five friends stepped into the hallway and made their way through the half lighted passageway. They followed their dark, introverted friend to the entrance of her room. Her hand released a surge of black that surrounded the door with her name engraved on it, causing it to slide to the side. She led them into the abyss of her room, mentally creating tiny spurts of fire to ignite at the wicks of the tiny candles set up all around. The other Titans were not used to such dim light as they squinted to distinguish the objects in her room.

"Don't touch anything," Raven ordered monotonously. Some things just could not change, acting or not.

As she approached the chest, her movements graceful and steady, she held out two of her hands. After murmuring her three trademark words, the lock snap off and the trunk top swung open. Her surrounding friends leaned in to take a look inside and indeed, they spotted books, notebooks, and other trinkets, but not Malchior.

"She's right!" Beast Boy burst out. "She's certainly damn right that I think she moved it somewhere else! Come on, guys! Don't be so stupid! We'll find it in her room! She didn't burn the book, it's in here!"

"You will not touch my room," Raven grit her teeth with a harsh glare.

"Beast Boy, we're not gonna invade her privacy like that. This _is_ her room," said Robin sternly.

"But she's lying to us all! Dude, she is _definitely _talking to that Malchior creep again! You should see those pictures she was painting this morning while talking to him!" ranted Beast Boy.

"You want me to show them? Fine," she motioned to the closet doors. They vigorously swung open as a train of paintings, large and small came gliding through the air. There were some of the terrible black dragon they remembered fighting, others of a creature that looked somewhat like a mummy wrapped in pieces of paper. Lastly, there was a picture of a white haired young man dressed in elegant armor with a black scarf covering half of his face. Awestruck by the beauty and mystery of her artwork, her friends kept silent for a few moments, admiring the strokes of her brush on paper.

"Raven," these are beautiful!" Starfire exclaimed. "I did not know such a creature could look so… beautiful…" she whispered.

Raven found herself agreeing with her Tamaranean friend. She too, found the dragon to be quite extraordinary, quite beautiful, despite his evil nature. Putting on the most miserable expression she could muster, she began the second act. "It's so hard… I want to hold onto him so badly. He meant so much to me and you all hate him. I know that I have to hate him too, but…" she hesitated. "Malchior was my friend… and I miss him so much. I had no other choice but to destroy him, but I miss him so much…"

Had she done it? Had she been convincing? It seemed as if she had won over their sympathy by the look on their faces. Although her composure was calm, she portrayed her misery with just the right amount of energy. In a way, she hadn't been lying when she said that she desperately wanted to hold onto him, despite her friends' hatred and her own self awareness of the danger he presented. It hadn't been too hard to lie about that. In a way, it was almost like expressing her true emotions for the first time.

Raven felt a hard, metallic hand rest lightly on her shoulder. "Hey Beast Boy, why don't you just lay off. Leave her alone. She's having a hard time coping as it is," rebuked Cyborg, his voiced soft and gentle, yet protective of his violet hiared friend.

"Raven has gone through enough torment because of Malchior's betrayal. You do not have to add onto her torture," she declared.

"I can't believe you guys," Beast Boy shook is head, putting his hands to his face. "She's lying, I tell you. We all know it, so why do you keep listening to her?"

"Beast Boy, I said, _lay off,"_ Cyborg said sternly.

"Malchior's still alive! And I'll prove it!" Beast Boy yelled as he stormed out of the room. The four friends looked around at each other.

"Perhaps I should go after him?" Starfire suggested.

"We all should," Robin paused and then looked to Raven. "I understand if you're a bit shook up and you don't want to."

Raven nodded. "I'll try to confront him a little later. I-I… just need put my paintings away…" she stammered as she headed for the nearest one, picking it up with her hands rather than using levitation.

Cyborg and Starfire rushed through the door and walked into the hallway but Robin stepped a little closer to Raven. She winced a tiny bit, and she hoped that he would not notice, although the top of chest suddenly slammed with a splash of black.

"Raven," Robin's voice was low as he looked into her eyes, displaying a visage of empathy. "Please, please take care of yourself, all right?"

She swallowed hard before nodding. Robin smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "Just remember that we're all there for you. Always."

She certainly wished that's the way she felt. She knew her friends cared about her but lately she couldn't see it. It was wrong, she knew. The void in her heart should not have existed.

That's when she realized Malchior had heard everything she said about him. He was still in the room, listening to Robin as he had listened for the last few minutes. There was no way she could face him about the words that previously came out of her mouth. "Robin, I'll go with you," she spoke quickly, her eyes regarding Malchior in a secret compartment in her dresser. So she followed her leader out of her bedroom, but her mind was contained within the room she had just left.

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Her slender fingers waved over the small crack that resided on the side of her closed bedroom door. Footsteps, soft and light, kissed her carpet floor as she moved across it. The heart in her chest would not let the rest of her body catch up to its pace, nor would it slow down to assimilate with the orthodox tempo. She had gained the ability to clamp her mouth to keep any sounds from escaping but she could not help the racing feeling in her heart.

Although it had been only a day or two since she had last entered this room, it seemed like an eternity had passed. In those previous dark hours, she had experienced a terrible side of Beast Boy, been kidnapped by an irritating villain called, Adonis, who had turned into a beast, and laid in unconsciousness for many an hour. When she had fainted, her friends did not bring her to her bedroom, but to the infirmary. Her dark eyes scanned the room she had been away from for more than usual. Her belongings had not been moved since she had last left, to her relief.

An image came sneaking into her mind, conniving terrible plans to torment the half-demon with her emotions even more. There, before her eyes, she saw Beast Boy sitting on the rocks, just outside the Titans Tower, his back turned to her. She barely noticed the roaring sea, a spectacle that usually enchanted her. Her only thoughts were of Beast Boy and how months and months ago, Terra had sat here and talked with him. She had been hesitated to walk down next to him because of that memory. It was a nerve-wracking thought and Raven found herself utterly distracted as she began to comfort her green friend, but nevertheless, she had kept calm. Nevertheless, she had a decent conversation with her friend who had been very edgy around her lately.

She found that she felt somewhat exhilarated by the memories of this past situation. Her friends had done everything in their power to rescue and protect her while she was in such a helpless state. She had doubted their concern and care for her. And yes, there were great amounts of shame lingering in her chest, but she could not help but feel overwhelming relief and even a hint of ecstasy. They had done everything in their power to help her, one of their best friends, one of their own. She felt renewed by companionship, something she hadn't felt since the Titans very first began.

"Raven!" Her pondering was suddenly interrupted by the muffled voice that came from the secret compartment in her dresser. "Raven!" Malchior's voice called again.

With two hands, she motioned towards the book stand and Malchior's book from her dressers.

The book stand slid in front of her bed while the book flew and rested softly in her right hand. Opening the white book to its designated page, she placed Malchior on the book stand and sat on top of her bed.

"That was rather unwise of you," her voice was somewhat scolding. "What if it had been Beast Boy who entered the room? Or another one of my friends? You would have been discovered for sure."

She had expected a quick-witted answer of his, something customary. If not that, she expected him to tell her that he was able to sense her presence, whether it was through magic or by study of her habits. But neither reply came and she was shocked to hear the hesitance in his tone.

"I…," he paused. "I heard you scream before. I'm not sure where you were, but I heard you scream." There was such amazing sincerity she could not comprehend. She refused to believe this genuine worry and remembered that he _had _been a deceiving young man. "What happened?" he questioned. "Why haven't you been here?"

"Well," she took a breath, trying to decide where to begin, "do you remember how Beast Boy was acting very moody lately?"

"The green skinned jerk, of course I remember." There was the Malchior she was used to.

"Do you remember when we fought Adonis?"

"This is more of us two reminiscing than you giving me an explanation, isn't it?"

"All right, I'm getting to the point," she rolled her eyes. "During that battle, Beast Boy got into contact with some chemicals. It set off a reaction in his DNA, causing him to transform into a monster at crucial points of emotional distress."

"Wow. That sounds very intellectual. My intelligence must be rubbing off on you."

"Do you want me to continue?" she glared, but her lips curled at slight amusement. "Adonis was also doused in the same chemicals that caused the same reaction in his body. He snuck into Beast Boy's room one night and I came in to check out what was going on. I saw Adonis as the beast and-"

"Screamed?" His manner didn't seem as taunting as she thought it would sound.

"Beast Boy tried to fight him but Adonis ran away," she continued, trying to make this as brief as possible. "I was knocked out soon after that. Beast Boy chased him into the city, as did the Titans, but they didn't realize they were chasing Adonis, rather than Beast Boy. When they finally found me unconscious in Adonis's mouth, they fought him, Adonis ran away and they found Beast Boy's body in the darkness. Because I was unconscious, I could not tell them Beast Boy tried to save me and it was Adonis who kidnapped them. My friends believed Beast Boy was guilty and interrogated him. He grew angry, transformed, and sought Adonis. I woke up and revealed the truth and Adonis was defeated."

"I bet you're more than happy to get a bit of peace and quiet for the first time in awhile."

"Yeah," she nodded and then with a smile, she said, "I just talked to Beast Boy. I think things are getting better between us. He was really angry with me when I denied your existence and made everyone believe me, but I think we're getting closer again. I'm glad too, because I hated the tensions that were growing between us," she sighed. "He has no idea how much I value him as a friend."

"Then he hardly seems worthy of your friendship," Malchior said acidly and Raven could have sworn she heard jealousy twisted in his words.

"Malchior, I have been proved wrong for the first time in many, many years. I have never felt happier about any other misjudgment. I believed that my friends did not really care about me and that I was alone, you know this. Although I have other hints and clues before, this incident was the most obvious and convincing proof of their camaraderie."

"I apologize if I insulted your friend." He hardly seemed like he meant it.

She had sensed much from these few minutes of conversation; much that she would have liked to ignore and deny. "I'm afraid I must retire early. I'm very tired and although I have been unconscious, it feels like I've hardly slept at all."

"Then I bid you goodnight, fair maiden."

"Goodnight," she nodded as she closed the book. The names he called her by never failed to entice her and shake the very grounds of her chest. Still, as much as she loathed his affection, whether it be feigned or genuine, she cherished his compliments, lived and breathed on it as much as it poisoned her.

As she rested her head on her pillow, she realized that it was a very good night indeed.

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W.B. Yeats was a genius, she agreed as she finished the poem. Her fingers traced the words on the page and smiled to herself. Sinking into the comforts of the large black couches in the Titans Tower main room, she closed her eyes. This simple fact was non-arguable: W.B. Yeats was a genius.

She decided to reread the poem and hear the words dance on her lips. It was the only way to fully appreciate its beauty:

"_All things uncomely and broken, all things worn out and old,_

_The cry of a child by the roadway, the creak of a lumbering cart,_

_The heavy steps of the ploughman, splashing the wintry mould,_

_Are wronging your image that blossoms a rose in the deeps of my heart._

_The wrongs of unshapely things is a wrong too great to be told;_

_I hunger to build them anew and sit on a green knoll apart,_

_With the earth and the sky and the water, remade, like a casket of gold_

_For my dreams of your image that blossoms a rose in the deeps of my heart."_

Glancing at the title, "_The Lover Tells of the Rose in His Hearts," _she was suddenly interrupted by thumping footsteps that were trying too hard to be stealthy. They were headed towards the stairs that led to the entrance and exit of the Titans Tower. There was a strong scent of cologne in the air, Red Spice that she couldn't help but caught in. This had been going on only because she had let it. She would continue to turn a blind eye to it only if she could confront him of it now.

"Hey Cyborg," she called out. "You better call her and tell her you're going to be a bit late."

Cyborg had never been an excellent liar when he talked about girls because the expression and look on his face gave him away almost immediately. The words usually stumbled out of his mouth which led to further proof that he did not speak the truth. "W-what do you mean, Raven?" he stammered with a shrug. "I'm going out to meet Robin and Beast Boy at the baseball game-"

"Robin and Starfire are at the movies right now. Beast Boy is still sleeping in his room."

"Well, Beast Boy is going to wake up soon and he knows when to meet me."

"Quite frankly, the cologne gives you away more obviously then the rest of your pathetic excuses. Why don't you call her up? I promise, I won't be long," she motioned him over to take a seat next to her.

"Hey Jinx? I'm going to be a little late. I promise I'll meet you there at the same place," Cyborg spoke into his arm. He trudged slowly towards Raven and then sank into the black couch. "How did you know?" he asked without a passing second.

"I've seen you sneak out for awhile now. I've even seen you out on actual dates on a few occasions when I've been in town. It's been two months, hasn't it now?" she mused.

"And you haven't told them?" his eyes widened.

"Of course not. Your personal affairs are your own, even if _Jinx,_" there was still revulsion in her manner as she said the name, "is part of them."

"I'm surprised that you're not mad," he raised an eyebrow.

"I must admit, I don't like your choice of girls," she frowned. "But I'm nowhere near furious. I trust that you know how to handle the situation and be aware the she _is _still an enemy."

"You know," Cyborg began. "It's funny. You, me, and Beast Boy…"

"Yeah?" it was her turn to cock an eyebrow.

"Well, we all know what it's like to love someone we're not supposed to. As in the enemy, I mean."

"I don't love Malchior," she blurted quickly, ignoring the sudden pang in her heart. "I've never loved Malchior."

"All right, then we all know what it's like to _like _someone we're not supposed to," he corrected himself. "It's hard, you must know. Whether or you're with them or somewhere else, you know that it's right but it's wrong… When you look into their eyes, you know they're the only one you could ever find yourself in and the only one you could never find yourself in…" he rambled. "Does that make sense?"

His words chilled her. She had found more truth than she had originally been seeking to learn. Nodding sadly, she replied, "yes, in a strange sort of way, I understand everything you said."

"Raven," he took her hand with his own large mechanical one. "You can tell me, I'll keep your secret. Have you been talking to Malchior?"

"No, Cyborg," she shook her head. It was easier to lie this time with fewer words.

He took a breath before beginning to speak. "Raven, you know I would fight him for you. I would fight Malchior. But in this situation, there is nothing I can do. This is your fight. And you must fight yourself to either accept or reject him."

"I burned Malchior, if you don't remember."

"And I stopped seeing Jinx," he rolled his eyes. "You can't stay in the middle forever, Raven. You're going to have to make a decision sooner or later."

"And I already have. I will let go of him." And it was true. She was very intent on burning him sometime in the future.

"And I'm just reminding you that you don't have to." He put his arm around her. "Raven, you're just like a sister to me. I'd hate to have you cheat yourself of the only person who can make you happy."

"Besides you, you dolt?" she blinked back tears but there was a grin on her face. They shared a warm embrace for a few seconds, something although they weren't accustomed to, that felt appropriate and just right. When they finally let go, she gave him a light tap on the back. "Don't keep your girlfriend waiting too long."

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It was nearly midnight when she heard her door slide open. In an hour she was supposed to wake up and talk with Malchior. It seems that she would have to wake up slightly earlier than her schedule usually had her. She jumped out of her bed and grabbed her dark blue cape, swinging it around her body. Holding her hands out in defense, she prepared herself to meet the intruder.

"Who's there?" she demanded the darkness. Although there was no distinguishable figure, she could hear the breathing of another living person in her realm. She could feel the presence of one who was unwanted.

"Please do not be afraid, Raven of Azareth," the voice of a woman soothed the nerves in her body, but Raven could sense the harbored venom in her tone.

It was then that she saw her, the stranger, the intruder. In her hands was a golden staff where a claw at the top held a colorless orb, a frightening mist clouding its transparent interior. The woman lowered the black hood from her head to reveal her face. She was the most breathtaking, beautiful woman she had ever seen. Although it was the dark of night, her exquisite complexion outshone the darkness and its curtain. Her long, golden hair was tied up at the top but it meandered down her back towards mid thigh. Amber eyes that glowed through the black. She was young, maybe eighteen or nineteen years old. Those eyes of her held many more years than her body. There was no beginning to her loveliness and no end. In fact, as the stranger stood in front of her, Raven, herself felt plain and uncomely in her presence.

"How did you get in here?" she questioned.

"I let myself in. As a sorceress, there are no limits to my entrances. Your security system cannot restrain me," she smiled.

"Who are you?" Raven did not like being on the clueless side of opposition. "What business do you have with me?"

"My name is Sagira the Ageless, have you heard of me?" one side of her lips began to curl.

"I have read your story in many history books as well as in mythology and legend," Raven replied bluntly. "However I did not think you would be able to sustain your life due to the lack of magic in this current time."

"Oh, I've been able to manage," she placed two hands on her staff. "The magic in my staff has kept me going for many centuries. However, its power is dwindling and I need to restore it to its full strength," she paused, taking one step towards her. "I believe that we can help each other. I desire magic and you…" she smiled, "revenge on one who has wronged you."

"Revenge?" How could Sagira have found out? "Revenge on who?"

"I have heard about the dragon in your possession, the one called, _Malchior,_" she explained. "Dragons have an immense amount of magic, enough to keep me young and alive for a few more centuries as well as provide other magical artifacts in its hide and organs-"

"I'm afraid the book in which he was trapped in was burned many a night ago," Raven interrupted icily.

"And I'm afraid that this is impossible. Malchior's book can only be incinerated with dragonfire," Sagira mused. "Oh come now. I'll even throw in some dragon hide into the deal for you to make what you wish with it."

"Malchior is gone. He is dead."

"No, Raven of Azareth, he is in your dresser," her eyes gleamed triumphantly.

Her cheeks flushed with crimson as the objects in her room began to rattle with black power. "Get out of here! I will make no such deal with you! Find other dragons to drain but get out of my sight!"

Sagira dissolved into the air almost instantly but she still felt her spirit in her bedroom. The atmosphere was suffocating, not one of emptiness that Raven was accustomed to. "I do hope you'll change your mind, Raven," her voice echoed in the room. "Until we meet again…"

It was then she decided that she hated Sagira.

Raven waited a few minutes before opening a drawer and pulling Malchior's book out. She jumped onto her bed and turned through its pages, stopping in the center of the book. "Malchior, what do you know of this Sagira?"

L

"Although I never had the pleasure of meeting her, I heard of her ambition. She too, sought the world in her hands but never had enough power to accomplish what she wished. Strong in magic… not as strong as me of course, she would have been able to had it not been for my own conquest. I suspect she has not been able to gather enough magic since."

"So what do you think of her request?"

"I say, I don't like the idea of being an accessory."

"Please be serious, Malchior. She is a threat not only to you and me, but to the world. She will come back for you."

"Why don't you just destroy me then? She can't get me that way."

"You never told me that you could only be burned by dragonfire," she shifted her eyes.

"You never asked what kind of fire was able to burn me. You know," he hesitated. "You could always release me as well. That way, it would not be in your hands to hand me over."

"Nor could I be able to hold you in this prison. Malchior, I cannot release you."

"Yes, Raven," he sighed. "I know."

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**Wow, I'm finally done. Christmas, weak laugh yeah right. Well, at least I finished and I'm posting it up.**

**Finally, a little of the plot at the end. Hope you guys have enjoyed.**

**Thanks to all who have reviewed and supported me. It's nice to see a Review Alert in the mailbox to cheer me up.**

**Plz review!**

**Kree**


	6. Chapter Five: What is Real

**Trying my best to quicken the progress the story. Had a little bit of the plot at the end of the last chapter and now, here's where the stuff gets really juicy.**

**I've been waiting to write this chapter for awhile. I promise you; it'll be a good one. Plenty of action.**

**Enjoy, and thanks to those who have faithfully read and reviewed!**

**Kree**

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"It can't be any later than dusk!" Malchior exclaimed as her gentle hands opened his book. "Do you realize how early you are? Have you lost your mind?"

"Relax, Malchior," Raven rolled her eyes. "My friends are out for tonight."

"How can you be so sure? They could be trying to spy on you to find out whether or not we're still talking!"

"You sound so ridiculous right now, you paranoid freak," she mused. "They aren't interested in you anymore. Robin has been asking Starfire out a lot the past two weeks. That's where they are tonight. Cyborg, of course, as you know…" she paused, "is out with _Jinx,_" she grimaced. "Beast Boy has a date with a rock," her eyes shifted. "I figured that I would have a little time to talk to you now instead of the middle of the night."

"No dates for you?"

"Don't make me laugh."

"How did you convince your friends to leave you all alone in the Tower, then?"

"I told them I was going to talk to my mother for awhile. If they should come in and hear a tiny bit of talking, it won't look too suspicious." She set the book on the stand with ease and fell back onto her bed at the same time.

"Always thinking of everything. I like that. The two of us could have might quite a team."

"If I hadn't been on a team already," Raven said sharply. She didn't want an idea like that to stick in his head.

"Raven," he hesitated. His silence was not comforting. "I know this is quite audacious of me to implore… but could you…" Holding her breath, she prayed that he would not ask the impossible of her. "Could you bring me outside?"

She let a sigh of relief slip through her lips as she pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. Her heart slowed down a notch, a rapid metronome beat catching its breath. "I suppose that would be all right. Everyone's gone and we could go up to the roof. But only for a few moments, all right?"

"Raven." How was he able to make her name sound like a prayer? "You have no idea how terribly grateful I am. Thank you."

The ability to respond to gratitude was not one she was skilled in. She did not reply as she placed the book under her right arm and made her way out of her room.

A staircase leading to the rooftop was situated at the very end of the hallway. There was no one home, but she couldn't help feeling awkward walking through the hall. She figured that she wasn't afraid of getting caught with Malchior; she had no reason to. The door opened on the order of her levitation, the steps she took were light and slow. The emotions seemed to carry her up the stairs as she floated upwards. What in the world was she feeling?

With the turn of a knob, she arrived at the roof, looking up into the vast, colorful sky. A painting of reds, pinks, oranges, and purples, the sun was retreating in the west. The sea was filled with myriads of tiny stars outnumbering any night sky. Jewels of blue with pearls for foam, no treasure could possibly compare to the view the ocean provided. She flew towards the edge of the rooftop with the help of the evening breezes. She positioned herself to land in a sitting position, her legs dangling off the edge off Titans Tower.

Turning to Malchior's page, she let him look at the world he had seen once before in more than a thousand years. It was he who sighed as he looked from one end of beauty to the other and it was possible that there was regret pouring from his lungs. He did not speak for several minutes, but Raven did not mind the quietude. Watching the sunset was like another form of meditation to her; ultimate serenity. Realizing she was sharing this moment with Malchior was somewhat uncomfortable, but only for a few seconds. She ignored the discomfort and although she refused to like his company, she did not dislike it either.

"On an evening such as this," Malchior spoke up, "I would have liked to take you to many different places. The Melian waterfalls, Camarai beaches, Maiorme groves… I think you would have enjoyed such mystical sights… Yes…" his voice trailed in haphazard steps. "There are many places I would have liked to take you to…"

"It sounds like a strange scenario," she tried to feign the surprise in her voice with sarcasm. "The dragon has become a lovesick fool and has asked a half-demon out on a date. Do not mock me, Malchior. I do not care that my friends have found love lives and I stay at home with a book."

"I would never mock you, Raven. I'm afraid I must confess that what I just said was completely earnest," he said gravely.

"What you insist on saying is that you would take me to see the wonders of the world," she laughed bitterly. "Pray tell, Malchior, for what reason? Why bring _me _to such extraordinary places?"

"Isn't it obvious? I find your personality appealing and your darkness attractive. One might infer that you've become more than a friend to me."

How dare he? How dare he even imply such emotions… such affinity? Her anger was growing hard to control, even as the skilled repressor she was. "May I remind you that the two of us are _not _friends. The more I talk to you, the more I'm bent on destroying you!"

"It's been more than two months since we've started talking. Maybe it's just me, but I never thought it would take you this long to be rid of me… that is, unless… you too are feeling something."

"I feel nothing!" she grit her teeth. "Don't be so confident that I never plan to eliminate you."

"Tell me, Raven, without dragonfire, how do you plan on killing me? Please Raven, I beg you. Won't you at least let me come out as the paper man as I have before? Let me prove myself to you," he pleaded. "I can change, I can change for you. We can be together… we can talk freely in the life of day without being restricted to the dead of night." No, no, no… she refused to listen to him. "We are the same,

Raven! The same darkness that once yearned for the light. I have lost everything but you. I am a man with nothing. I cannot be more honest than I am right now.

"You are a man with nothing which makes it all the more reason for you to lie!" she exclaimed. "I will not fall for your miserable begging! I will not fall for what you call _affection!" _She slammed her fist onto the cement beside her, a cold wind whipping her hair from side to side. "You can't make me feel sorry for you! You can't trick me anymore! I won't let you out!"

"Then hurry up and find a way to end me!" he glowered. "I cannot take this for much longer either! If you cannot trust me, then end my pitiful life! If you will not believe the way I feel about you then search your books for an alternate way to kill me off!" His voice dropped only a little bit louder than a whisper. "Living with this grief is a far crueler fate than death."

Slamming the book down, she grasped the spine, preparing to thrust him deep into the sea. But Malchior dropped from her trembling fingers as she winded her arm back and she buried her face into her hands. The sobs overcame her barriers as her fingers did the best they could to hide her sorrow. She had come into these talks in order to convince herself that he was not worth holding onto. Now, she only knew of the traits that enchanted her and kept her clinging onto his being. What a twisted trap she had laid for herself. What a damn fool she had been. How did she expect to ever get out of it…

* * *

It was Beast Boy's turn to make breakfast. She specifically remembered that it was Beast Boy who should be cooking breakfast at this morning. He'd been tormenting Cyborg all of yesterday about what he was going to serve for breakfast the next day. So far, she didn't smell the revolting odor of tofu eggs and organic pancake mix, Beast Boy's specialty stench, created with his own mixture of ingredients. She found this satisfying and disturbing at the same time. She was glad that she didn't have to smell the stink, but was a little irritated that her first meal of the day was not ready yet.

The two doors to the central Tower room opened before her but she did not have the chance to walk in. In front of her stood her leader, the Boy Wonder, Starfire, and Cyborg. Much to her dismay, as she looked a little past them, there was nothing on the stove.

However, their expressions disturbed her. Eyes wide with terror, the lines on their faces portraying their utmost anxiousness. She'd seen her friends scared before, but never like this. Never like this.

"What's wrong?" She asked, inserting a strange pause between two words. She was beginning to get worried herself as she watched their grim countenances broaden.

"Beast Boy's missing," said Robin solemnly. "He never came home last night."

Her heart skipped a beat and she swallowed once. "Beast Boy? But he called last night. He said he was coming home really late-"

"But he said that he was coming home," said Cyborg.

"Have tried contacting him? Have you tried to trace his communicator?"

"Yes. When we tried to trace him, we found that his signal jumped at different spots all around the city every five seconds. I don't know what's going on," Robin explained.

Last night, Beast Boy had gone out to see Terra. As far as Raven recollected, no somber moods had interrupted his buoyant attitude yesterday. She would have sensed something from him if he was about to run away. His feelings must have changed abruptly when he was with Terra, been kidnapped as the fear in her friends' eyes told her, or else he too, was becoming as a good liar as the dark empath.

"What's the plan?" asked Raven finally.

"Separate and search," said Robin with a sigh. "It could be that his signal is malfunctioning but that is highly unlikely. But in case Beast Boy is really in trouble…we've got to find him."

"There is one other explanation, Robin," Raven started. "If Beast Boy _is _kidnapped, his kidnapper could possibly be using magic to teleport him from place to place."

"That makes more sense that can the communicator malfunction," Cyborg nodded.

"Then be wary of the kidnapper if they use magic!" Robin began walking towards the exit of Titans Tower. "For all we know, they could be just like Mumbo."

_"How lucky we would be if they were just like Mumbo," _Raven thought to herself as Sagira's face slipped into her mind. _"Someone like Mumbo would be the least of our problems."_

_

* * *

_

Cyborg was exhausted. Definitely more worried than exhausted, but completely drained out. It was at least six in the evening and he'd only stopped once the entire day to grab a hamburger. He drove around the city, following Beast Boy's signal when he could, parked his car, and searched for his green friend on foot. It was an extremely aggravating task, especially at times when he was only a doorstep away from the red dot on his locator. When he opened the door, he would face an empty room, the red dot would disappear, only to reappear miles away. It seemed nearly impossible to ever catch Beast Boy and his kidnapper.

His mind wasn't only on as Beast Boy, however. Ashamedly, he could admit that. There was a certain pink haired witch lingering in the caverns of his lovesick head. He kept thinking about last night and how she agreed to consider dropping out of H.I.V.E. Sure, to _consider _in her terms would only mean a few moments of thinking about it, but it was a start. Besides that bit of news, he was overjoyed to see her for the first time in a… what, maybe a week? All right, so he was getting pretty bad. He did not see buildings and alleyways he walked past through. All he saw were pink tresses tied up, fluttering in the nightly breeze, with big pink irises to match her hair. The way she kissed him with rose petal lips, tasting of sweet sugar. The way she whispered three words in his ear, three words that could not be matched by any amount in the world. She was hypnotizing, mesmerizing.

Yep, he was officially addicted.

He sighed. He was thinking about his beautiful Jinx in a time that he shouldn't be.

That thought was suddenly interrupted as he turned the corner. The pink dissolved into black and then into a relaxing nothingness.

* * *

Starfire scoured the afternoon skies, following the red dot while she looked down at the sidewalks, roads, and rooftops from above. She hoped that Beast Boy would turn up soon for although she was tired, she was also worried for her green skinned friend. To think that someone had kidnapped him when he went out last night was a terrifying thought. Humming a Tamaranean song of hope, she wished for Beast Boy's safety as she glided in the air.

There! The red dot was only a block away! She dived towards the building it appeared to be coming from, a crimson and violet star falling from the sky. With a graceful landing, her feet kissed the ground and let her fiery red hair fall behind her. The beautiful alien girl stepped towards the bank the red dot was coming from. Hurrying through a pair of glass doors, she scanned the room for a familiar face and found none. She looked at the yellow communicator screen in her hand: Beast Boy was three miles away from where she stood now. _Glorchek, she had missed him again!_ However, there was a loud commotion in the center of the room where people crowded around an empty circular area. From the shouts and exclamation, it sounded as if someone had disappeared out of thin air. It definitely sounded like Beast Boy and his kidnapper.

She sighed. Well, it was back to searching from the skies. She solemnly walked outside the building and took another look at her communicator. To her surprise the red dot was now just between the bank and the shoe store beside it. Sprinting to the side of right of the building where an alleyway was formed between both structures, there she saw two dark shadows beside a green dumpster.

"Friend Beast Boy, is that you?" She called out to him, cautiously stepping into the alley.

A terrible burst of pain traveled down from the back of her head to the rest of her body like electricity. Starfire was unconscious before she hit the ground.

* * *

This was incredibly annoying.

Annoying could not even describe how Robin felt right now. He was frustrated beyond all description and he was having a hard time hiding it as he sped on his motorcycle. Why did Beast Boy's kidnapper keep zapping away? What did they want with the Titans? Who were they? And more importantly, was Beast Boy still even alive?

It was probably not in his best interest to think of these things. Robin shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment. This kidnapper, still assuming that Beast Boy _was_ kidnapped, must be pretty powerful. The Titans' experience was magic was never a good one, for one who's trade is magic never shows how powerful they truly are. The kidnapper had been toying with the Titans all day, leading them to one spot and then disappearing at the last second. What was the point? Did the kidnapper want to be found? Or did they want to tire them out before they finally showed up? There were so many questions that could only be answered when they met the kidnapper face to face. And when they did, Robin would probably kill them. Not just because they had taken Beast Boy, but because they had led the Titans on a wild goose chase all around the city.

Robin was not very happy.

The Titans had stopped calling each other hours ago when they almost came across Beast Boy and he disappeared. It was the same old story every time and it was getting quite tiring. Robin was hoping that as he approached the red dot on the screen that he would have a new story to tell. He wouldn't mind facing danger now that the whole day was filled with chasing and disappointment.

The red dot disappeared and blinked on the opposite side of the screen. _Damn! _He could not take this for much longer. Although determined as he usually was, this was getting ridiculous. He swerved his motorcycle around in order to change directions. _Here we go again._

All of a sudden he felt a vigorous blast of wind against his side, rocketing him and his motorcycle off of the road. He was lucky that he and the motorcycle did not crash into the brick wall of the edifice on the left or it would have meant certain death for him. The throbbing in his ribs, however, felt just as bad as death as he lay down on the pale, cement sidewalk. Sleep devoured his consciousness by the second and something that banged against his head finished him up.

* * *

It was almost eight in the evening. The sun had taken her bow an hour ago and left Raven to searching for Beast Boy in the dark. Not that she minded the dark, but it reminded her just how long she had looked for Beast Boy since they found out he was missing. She had tried several times to teleport to where the red dot was on her communicator screen but found that every time, the kidnapper was already gone. Teleporting became too tiring, for it took a lot of energy and concentration for Raven to accomplish it. She had even tried getting in touch with Beast Boy but found that something was blocking her from reaching him. A magic barrier was probably what it was. Whoever they were dealing with, they were certainly adept in the art of magic.

Sagira. It had to be Sagira. This thought had been weighing on her heart since the search started. It made perfect sense and there was no one else Raven knew of. Of course, she had hoping that perhaps it was some other magic-user but there was little chance of that. Sagira had business with her, and unfortunately, it probably had something to do with Malchior as well.

She decided that she give teleportation one more go. She had enough energy since the last few times she used it and she wasn't that far away from where the red dot was on the screen. It looked like it was in an old warehouse by the sea, she guessed from the location. Closing her eyes in meditation, she felt her body dissolve into an agile black bird, a black cloud traveling through a cosmic tunnel between worlds. The incredible sensation ripped her body apart, only to put it back together when she reached her destination. And when she did, her violet irises escaped her eyelids.

It was just as she suspected: a warehouse by the sea. From the looks of it, the warehouse had not been occupied in many, many years. The gray, metallic walls were decorated with a scaly, bronze rust that was visibly seen in the night. Large radiators ran just below the ceiling and there was a large opening in the west wall. On the ground were empty oil cans, piled up on one another and dozens of brown cardboard boxes scattered aimlessly across the floor. Taking a quick glance at her communicator, she saw that the red dot hadn't moved since she had last seen it. That meant that Beast Boy should be right here…

And as she stepped to the side, she realized that he was here. He and the rest of her friends. Her vision had been obscured by the oil cans before, but now she saw her fellow Titans trapped in what looked like a yellow force field. It looked as if Robin was barely awake and every one of them were bloodied and bruised. Of course, there, holding the force field with her blue orbed staff, was Sagira the Ageless in all of her splendor. Hair of the sun dancing with the breeze her power created and amber eyes glowing just as brightly. A black robe trimmed with gold, she was breathtaking, but threatening: _as was many things in this world,_ Raven sighed.

"You…" Raven lowered her eyes, approaching Sagira and her friends. "You did this."

"I had no choice, Raven of Azareth," her smile was cruel. "You left me no choice. You would not accept my initial proposition so I had to take matter into my own hands. I tried to be kind at first, but now I must be forceful. Now, you and your friends must suffer."

"Malchior is truly _this_ important to you?" Raven shouted, aghast.

"He is the key to everything, but I cannot summon him. Here's where you come in: I need you to summon him. I heard he taught you, himself, the magic words and arrangement needed to bring him up. Such a spell has been forgotten for many centuries."

"I was wondering why you didn't just _poof _into my bedroom and take the book," she sneered.

"Who's to say I didn't?" Sagira mused and held her out her right hand, her left hand still clutching the staff. A familiar white book with sable markings appeared, much to Raven's anxiety. As soon as Robin saw the book where he lay in Starfire's arms, he immediately began shouting and banging against the golden force field. Raven, however, could not hear his words, only see him and others panicking, shaking their heads. It was apparent that although her friends could not hear her and Sagira, they knew Malchior had something to do with it. She sighed. The truth would have to come out soon. Unfortunately, it had to be done with Sagira in the picture.

"Well, Raven," Sagira began. "I believe I don't have to explain. A regular extortion: your friends' lives or Malchior's. You know the deal."

"Give it here," Raven grit her teeth as the book came flying into her hands. "I'll need eight books: the Id Pages, the Gothram, the Book of Cantor, _Majere, _the Kaoirian, the Book of Illitar, the Bursean Chronicle, and the Endreal Verses," she said reluctantly. "And a book stand."

"Mind if I take them from your private library?" she snickered, using her staff to make eight thick books appear and Raven's own dark bookstand. Raven hated this woman.

What else was she supposed to do? The lives of her friends were obviously more important than Malchior's. There should be not a doubt in her heart when it came to handing Malchior over in exchange for her friends. But yet she could not help feeling guilt… along with two tons of inconsolable grief. Trained repression was the only thing that kept her from crying hysterically.

_"Malchior, what do I do?" _she whispered to the book, almost breaking down right there. "How am I supposed to make this exchange? How could I do it?"

"Do not worry, Raven," his soothing voice comforted her. "I have a plan. Just bring me up as Sagira says. I will take care of the rest. "

The strange thing was, she trusted him. Her heart was untouchable to her mind's past rebuking and advice. She trusted him, who had deceived her before, to deliver her and the Titans from Sagira. She, who had sworn many times before that she would never believe in the young wizard, the dragon she loved before, would do so now. Irony was a wretched thing.

"Don't keep me waiting, now," Sagira jeered. "I've got a busy millennium planned ahead of me and I don't need you wasting any more time."

A flood of black magic took hold of the books and the stand in a torrent of Raven's annoyance and anxiousness. The eight books fluttered opened, their white pages, broken wings against the cold ground. They were positioned in a circle while Malchior's white book lay in the center. The tall book stand was just outside the circle and Raven stepped up to begin the chanting.

She took one final look at her friends in the force field. Wide eyed, in disbelief, they weren't even struggling anymore. Not one of them could believe this was happening, that Raven would summon the great beast that had assaulted them before. They may not have known that she had been talking to him but they now knew she lied about destroying him. One lie uncovered another and the truth was inevitable. She had betrayed her friends and now she would unleash the dragon. She would give Sagira what she wanted and who knows what Sagira might accomplish after that.

She looked into the eyes of her friends and down at Malchior on the floor. She had to trust him. She had no other choice. She took a breath and then thrust her arms in the air.

_"Hesberek Admoriney Gostwenthin Verbusnex. Indobrium Bispendruay Haransicortis Rex!"_

White beams shot up from the nine books, pillars of brilliant light stretching all the way up to the ceiling. From Malchior's book, pearly ribbons twisted upwards in many different directions. Everyone shielded their eyes with at least on of their hands, an instant reaction to the blinding illumination. The radiant strips in the center of the circle transformed into multiple colors, forming a solid and complete shape hidden by the columns of the other eight books. A show of tremendous colors, bright lights, and a storm of loose pages stole the breath of every being in the warehouse.

The dim atmosphere of the abandoned structure began to overtake the magical brilliance. The paper that had escaped the book dwindled in flight. The metamorphosis was finished and a clear figure stood up from the center of the open books. To Raven's surprise, a humanoid shape arose rather than a monstrous dragon. To everyone's astonishment, there was a man…

Raven inhaled, her eyes locked on what she had released. Long, colorless hair, unkempt yet elegant at the same time, flowed like the motions of ocean waves. With armor of the moon fastened around his gray skinned body, a large "M" was engraved in the center of the chestpiece. A jet black scarf tied around his neck and lower face obscured his mouth. Finally, coal black eyes Raven had seen almost every night gleamed with a hypnotizing air. Although still hard as they looked when he was trapped in the book, it was relaxing to fall into such irises. It was the first time she had seen him as a human besides in her dreams. Adrenaline pumping through her body, triggering a weakness in her knees, she fell to the ground.

A hurricane of intense emotion was converted into black energy. For a moment, Raven lost all control and hurled objects all around the room in levitation.

He was beautiful.

"A man? No… why, you're just a boy!" Sagira cried out in anguish.

"On the contrary, I am much more than that," his lips curled to form a smile. He raised two arms way out in front of him and shouted in an articulate manner, "_dormite astadep ago!"_

Sagira showed no resistance to the spell. The force field retracted to the cerulean orb on the top of her staff. She dropped to the ground, a lifeless carcass, yet still breathing healthily. The Titans were free to go and Starfire helped Robin up on his feet. Simultaneously, Cyborg aided the fatigued Beast Boy. Malchior walked over to Raven where she sat beside the book stand. Extending a hand to the orchid haired girl, she took it steadily and rose to her feet. With that, she threw her arms around him, holding him in a close embrace.

"Thank you," she exclaimed, her vision blurring with rare diamonds of tears. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Malchior remained silent at first. "Pray tell, sweet Raven, for what?" his gentle voice massaged her heart. He did not, however, return the embrace.

"For defeating Sagira. For saving us. For being dependable." _For being real. For being the guy I always wished you could be._

"Thanks for all of your help, Malchior," Robin spoke up as the four other Titans came towards them. "Perhaps after a little explanation about what's going on, we can start over and-"

"I'm afraid you are mistaken. All of you have thanked me too soon." With one hand on Raven's shoulder, he pushed her away with little force. A little surprised at his action, but she was more flabbergasted with his words. What was he saying?

"I have freed you, yes, returning a debt I owed Raven," he started with his frightening words. "But I have taken interest in Sagira and find her a suitable ally to continue my work with. I will finish what I started with her and fight you another day?"

"What?" Raven's voice trembled, barely above a whisper. No… this couldn't be happening… everything was going to be all right… Malchior was on _their _side now… Malchior _changed_… he was not… not again…

"We are enemies, you and I," Malchior declared. "Remember that. Go home, rest, but in the morrow, we will fight as adversaries."

"No!" Cyborg yelled, stepping forward. "You're not going to hurt her again! You're not going to do this again!" His rage teemed out of every syllable of his words and through the pores of his expression.

"We are enemies," said Malchior acidly, his eyes narrowing. "We're supposed to hurt each other."

He turned around and walked towards the sleeping Sagira and her staff to the side. Eyes, eyes she had loved were gone and now she watched him walk away. She had fallen once again, despite how hard she fought to stay high above dangerous waters. She had fallen again and she was sure that nothing except vengeance could pick her back up. Raven stood there, lavender eyes quivering, trapped in a moment that would not keep up with the present, her soul falling apart at the feet of her friends and the young wizard who betrayed her.

* * *

**Hm, I thought this one was going to be a lot longer. Well, it came out decent. Not the best, but I enjoyed writing the end of this chapter. The ending went fast for me.**

**Hope you enjoyed! And let me keep in mind those are probably going crazy right now that this _is _a Raven/Malchior fic. **

**Please review!**

**-Kree**


	7. Chapter Six: Build Them Up Again

**Wow… you guys are amazing. I couldn't believe how many reviews came in the first two days. Let me tell you… seeing those Review Alerts in my mailbox always make me happy so a big "thank you" to all who reviewed and have been reviewing faithfully. **

**Yes, I'm very slow to updating. It's hard for me to find the time to do it, but I shall try my best to get these chapters updated as quick as possible. **

**There will be nine chapters. Perhaps I can finish this before the summer. p All right, hopefully sooner.**

**Enjoy!**

**-Kree**

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* * *

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Thirteen, single white rose petals created a semi circle around a gray pedestal. Sprinkled upon them were black ashes, fresh from the spirited licks of the fire. A silver goblet stood before each petal with a dark red liquid, motionless in its holder. It was blood, human blood from her victims in the past that Sagira had saved for such an occasion. Her fingertips spread a white powder, crushed bone of unicorn, into the blood and dropped an ancient venomous herb when she was finished. Finally, she drew a vial from the violet sash around her thin waist. She had collected dragon saliva earlier from Malchior's mouth for such object was required for the spell. Three drops went into every mixture and then she put the glass vial back into her sash.

She stepped onto the pedestal with the staff in her hands. She could not use her staff for this certain spell, so she let it levitate in the air behind her. Malchior, in his human form, the bitter wind cutting at his white hair, walked up towards Sagira. He put his delicate hand on her shoulder, slightly startling her, sending an instant reaction to her cheeks. "Would you like me to hold your staff while you work the spell?"

"My staff has a powerful protection spell that is deadly to all but me," said Sagira with a seducing smile. She turned towards him, her fingertips trailing the chest piece of his armor. "I'd hate to see you get fried before all the fun began."

"Nor would I."

"You're young," her mouth whispered just above his ear. "But still quite attractive."

"I'm over a thousand years old. You're maybe, a hundred years my senior? Lady, I'm sure," his hands moved down her waist, "this could all work out."

"I'm glad I didn't get to kill you," she mused. "Now I must begin the spell: the moonlight hits the rock on which we stand. I need your help, Malchior. Lend me some of the power I need to raise them."

He nodded in agreement, a white burst of energy flowing into Sagira. They stood upon barren rock, a plateau above dark laced trees, their true color obscured by the shadows. Malchior stepped back from the gray pedestal and let Sagira work the magic. Thrusting her hands up in the air, she began to chant, "atuwa dravkigly mortylipis wafquornam, ast rehjagnen holesme armoram!"

Red energy drained from Sagira's hands into the red mixtures. She was rapidly losing strength, but she had enough to sustain her. The white powder rose from the blood in thirteen goblets, forming the likeness of actual bones. The blood rose to give circulation to thirteen different bodies and the poison spread through each of them as well. The rose petal covered what had been given to the creation and the ashes completed the details such as its empty black eyes and mouth. Dragon saliva gave breath to the wispy creatures, causing them to rise into the air like ghosts.

Sagira fell to the ground, her staff coming to her aid. She was exhausted, true, but she had done it: the ancient spell at worked. There stood thirteen spirit warriors to do her bidding.

"We need more," she grinned, getting up to her feet. "A lot more."

Although the five of them walked side by side, there was a significant gap between Raven and the others. The team was not the same before, nor would it ever be. Then again, Raven had always felt that distance from her fellow Titans, but perhaps, it was more apparent now. As they walked into the central room of Titans Tower, their pace slow and gloomy, Raven knew that there would be hell to pay for her carelessness.

They all took a chair at the kitchen table simultaneously. Raven looked at each one of her friends, possessing a similar white bandage around their heads. Robin, solemn, always serious behind his black mask. His uniform was torn haphazardly and skid marks were visible on the colorful cloth. Terrible bruises and scratches lined one side of his face. He looked tired, fatigued, just like every other Titan who had been searching for Beast Boy. Starfire and Cyborg, exhausted in visage and somber in expression, were slightly swayed by sympathy for their poor violet-haired friend, though they did not make it obvious. Beast Boy had not gone through this experience unscathed. White linen ran around his arms like snakes to dress his wounds. His face was bruised in several places and his uniform ripped across his chest. Each one of them were hurt physically, except for Raven. All of them had faced betrayal, however.

"I lied." It was a blunt way to start out, but it was the only way she could think of. "I lied from the very beginning. I lied when you first asked me, when you asked me again and again, and to your faces. I wanted to find out why his memory lingered in my mind. I thought I could find out from talking to him. I thought I could control him by myself. I knew you would not approve or believe that I could handle it, so I kept it a secret."

"Raven, we sort of knew that you were talking to him already," Robin explained hesitantly. "We never found out for sure, but we guessed it. We tried to trust your word but I think we all knew that you still talked to Malchior regardless of what you said."

"I-I was wrong." The three words were stinging on her lips. She hated being wrong. "I truly thought I could control myself. I thought that he would not be able to trick me again…" She would not bring herself to say his name. Even hearing Robin saying it tore away at her chest.

"Raven, how could you do this?" Beast Boy thrust his hand up in the air angrily. "How could you lie to us and risk our safety and the rest of the world's like that?"

Normally, she would have probably jumped on him with her sharp tongue, but Beast Boy was dreadfully right. On top of that, _he_ had been hurt by _her_ petty mistake. He had ever reason to be furious. "I don't know how I could make you understand how sorry I am. I know this apology is hardly enough to compensate, but let me fight him. Let me fight with you. As soon as we defeat him, dispose of me as you wish. It's just as I deserve."

"Raven, we don't want to lose you," Starfire said sincerely, her green eyes brimming with compassion.

Robin sighed before beginning to speak. "Raven, you're right. We do need you to help us fight him. You know him very well and we need that kind of information. The trust issues will have to be set aside until we defeat him and Sagira. You must know," he paused, and then sighed again. "That it will be difficult to trust you about this."

"Trust me once more," Raven said gravely. "I ask you to trust me this one last time. I will admit to you that Malchior is still in my heart, but I will kill him, I swear it. I will destroy him just as I destroyed your dependence on me. Malchior," her voice filled with ice, "is a dead man."

"Listen, it's not her fault that she brought up Malchior. She had to in order to save us." Cyborg spoke up. "Shouldn't we lay off a bit? This is hard for her too. There was no evil intent behind her actions. She loved him and she just wanted-"

"Cyborg, I never loved him." Her tone was stoic and cold. "I said he was in my heart and true, I thought of him for a very long time, but I _don't _do love," she sighed. "I know I've disappointed you all and it will be hard for you to trust me again. But I ask you to have faith in me that this will not happen again as we fight him."

"Well, Titans," Robin began slowly. "I think we're all looking forward to some sleep. We'll start searching for Sagira and Malchior tomorrow. In the mean time, get some rest and be ready to work our asses off. Good night," he stood up from his chair and headed for the sliding doors. Cyborg stood up, helping Beast Boy to his feet and start for his room. Raven arose from her chair with graceful poise with Starfire rushing to her side.

"Raven, I will come with you to your room," said Starfire, her voice gentle and kind.

"Starfire, you really don't have to do that," said Raven as they walked through the double doors.

"But I want to, friend Raven," she clung onto her arm.

Raven winced, but she did not protest. With Starfire hurrying beside her, they approached Raven's room. The door slid open with the wave of Raven's free hand. They walked in together, and though Raven wanted to be alone, she still did not chase Starfire away.

The violet haired girl fell to the ground after taking a few steps into the room. Her chest gave way to its heaviness but practiced repression stopped any other outward sign of her misery from coming through. On her knees, her complete fall was broken by her Tamaranean friend. She wanted to die…die now, die quickly, anything to stop the continuous aching in her bones and the bleeding of her heart. Let her forget black eyes, white hair, and a paper rose that held the essence of someone who had been very important to her…

Starfire cried out as Raven dropped to the ground. "Raven!" she held her upright as her friend bowed her head in melancholy. "Raven," she whispered, looking her straight in the eye. "He has hurt you again so very deeply, hasn't he?"

A wave of black energy traveled across the dark room but Starfire was not startled. A downpour of tears flooded Raven's cheeks as she threw her arms around the alien girl. Sobbing and sniffing in a loud exclamation of pain, her apathetic manner succumbed to emotions. The room was a hurricane of flying objects with Raven and Starfire in the middle of it. Starfire embraced her grief-stricken friend, stroking her hair as a mother would to an upset child.

"How could he do this to me?" Raven sobbed, burying her face on Starfire's shoulder. "How, after all this time, everything he said to me, could he do this? I thought he changed. I thought he …" her voice trailed off, finishing with sniffs and weeping.

"Oh, Raven," Starfire hugged her. "I wish I knew why anyone would want to cause you such hurt."

"I should have killed him. I should have destroyed him when I had the chance," Raven grit her teeth. "Stupid, I'm so stupid. How could I let myself be tricked by him again. Again!"

"He was kind to you, was he not?" Starfire said softly. "Is it not only natural to trust those who are kind?"

Natural, yes, but in this kind of world, unwise. She cried in Starfire's arms, in the midst of whirling books and papers and a torrent of emotion she had trapped herself in.

* * *

Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy as an eagle traveled in flight. Robin took his motorbike and Cyborg, his T-Car. Aside from the calls and alerts in the morning, the Titans knew what they were up against. It was also hard to miss a black and purple dragon ravaging the city from outside your window. Raven suggested that it would be best to attack him and Sagira from different sides in attempt to take him by surprise (if such a tactic was possible). To stay together was imbecilic: they needed to attack them at the same time, yes, but at different angles. Both Malchior and Sagira were powerful when they stood by themselves but as a team, they were probably near invincible.

The Titans quickly located the great dragon and the sorceress in the center of the city. Starfire would attack from the east, Cyborg and Beast Boy from the north, Robin from the south, and Raven from the west. Raven would let them see her initially before the others would attack him. They all knew that it would take more than a day to defeat them, but they had little time to strategize against them today.

Truth be told, Raven felt rather confident today. She had done her share of crying the night before and now she was ready to fight. From the distance, she gazed into Malchior's red eyes, fiery rubies fitted on a sable fearsome face. His white fangs gleamed with the early morning sunlight and the absence of red was a comfort to the half-demon. People scurried around in panic, a mob of screaming men and women, boys and girls, all infected by the plague of fear. _"Dragon! Dragon," _they screamed. _"Run for your lives, it's coming this way!" _ Debris of buildings, torn away from their foundation, scattered onto the street, smashing and halting cars with the shriek of metal.

A white mass of ghostly figures caught her eye: warriors clad in undefined armor chased the people down other streets. They were the Uuglijae, the army of the dead, soldiers that obeyed only the master who raised them. The Titans would have to deal with the smoke-like creatures as well as Malchior and Sagira. All here in Jump City. Jump City, _her city, _was being threatened and she was ready to face he that had betrayed her with renewed hatred in her heart.

Raven flew towards him, blue coat parallel to the ever-changing waves of the wind. Violet eyes, brimmed with intensity, and hands that longed to kill, only seconds stood between her and killing Malchior.

Malchior spotted her from the distance as well and transformed back into his human body. He levitated high above the streets with a golden haired sorceress beside him. Sagira noticed the abrupt transformation and then she too, noticed Raven coming towards them. The sorceress smiled, putting one hand on Malchior's breast place, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Finally, the Titans have come out to play," she mused, pale red lips nearing Malchior's face.

"Let me have a little fun with them," he grinned, running his fingers through Sagira's golden tresses. "You go on ahead."

"If you insist," she planted a kiss on his cheek, flashing a triumphant grin at Raven.

_"Contain your rage," _Raven grit her teeth, her palms sweaty from clenching so hard. Her objective had changed for that split second and all she wanted to do was _tear Sagira the Ageless apart. _ Jealousy, a terrible emotion charged through her veins as she watched them smile together. _"Kill Sagira! None of this would have happened if it weren't for her. Sagira is the one who should die!" _

Those thoughts quickly passed and she directed her focus on Malchior. As Sagira disappeared into a vapor of gray smoke, Raven dared a smile towards him.

It was Cyborg who attacked first: a blue beam from his sonic cannon rushed instantly at the white haired wizard. Malchior's thin lips formed a smile and he turned around just in time to meet the sapphire stream. With the wave of his hand, the beam halted, rocketed in the opposite direction towards Cyborg. The center of the cerulean bolt faded into the air, a ring crashing on the street just around Cyborg. Smoke from the seared asphalt rose in a circle around Cyborg. Raven glared at Malchior with her violet eyes. Malchior had spared him, yes, but he was playing around. What would he do to them when he wasn't?

Starfire flew in, hurling starbolts, green discs of energy at Malchior. Two ghost-like fists emerged from his arms, catching each and every one. He threw them back at her, all at once, creating an outline of the Tamaranean's body. She remained unharmed, but deeply flustered by the force at which the starbolts were thrown back at her.

"Azareth Metrion Zynthos!" Raven exclaimed, directing her black energy towards him. At the same time, a green pterodactyl slashed at Malchior's armor, catching him by surprise for the first time.

Thrusting his right arm in the direction of the flying dinosaur, Malchior was able to transform the creature back into a green-haired adolescent boy. Using levitation, Malchior brought the helpless Beast Boy towards him. "Well, well, well," Malchior snickered quietly. "You must be the infamous Beast Boy." Beast Boy squirmed at the tone of his voice. "You're much shorter than I expected," he said with a taunt.

"Oh yeah? Well you're the creep we all expected you to be!" Beast Boy spit at him, although Malchior quickly blocked it with a gust of wind.

"Clever, clever," Malchior jeered, letting go of the green changeling. Beast Boy caught his own fall by transforming back into the pterodactyl and getting ready for the next assault.

Raven hailed herself at the young wizard against, picking up the debris from the ground and launching it at him. He flew at her, grabbing her wrists and bringing her close to him. "Can't you throw a little faster," he whispered in her ear in a manner that bordered seduction. Preparing to injure his manhood severely, he suddenly let go of her as Robin came flying at him. Malchior turned around swiftly, grasping the hem of Robin cape and dragging him towards the street below.

"I'm getting bored of the air," Malchior said as he landed lightly on the ground. Robin fell a little harder but he was quick to get back on his feet. With a metal pole in his hand, Robin lunged towards Malchior but he stepped to the side. Malchior punched the side of Robin's face while he was still moving forward. Robin recovered, trying to hit him again with the pole but missed every time. Malchior was no martial artist or even good at close combat, but he was quick enough with his magic to move from each of Robin's attacks. Robin wearied as he swung and lunged, while Malchior yawned.

An emerald colored rhinoceros came charging at Malchior but the wizard changed the beast into a rat. Cyborg shot his cannon at him once more but Malchior directed each beam towards the telephone pole to separate Robin from him for a split second. Starfire's radiant eyes blasted towards the wizard but he disappeared, reappearing right behind her in a moment.

"The beautiful Starfire, I presume? Are all maidens as lovely as you on the planet Tamaran?"

Malchior raised a hand and stopped three boomerangs that were coming at him from Robin. Obviously, Robin was more irritated by this comment than Starfire was. Raven lifted up the telephone pole using her levitation and attempted to swing it at him with her powers. At the same time, Cyborg prepared his sonic cannon, Starfire, her starbolts, and Beast Boy transformed into a T-rex. They were ready to attack him simultaneously. Raven swung the pole, Cyborg released his cannon, Starfire stared at Malchior with two luminous beams, and Beast Boy's jaw dropped in the wizard's direction.

Just before any of this hit its mark, Malchior tilted his head, letting a silver shield protect him from the blue, green, and black. Cobalt and jade energy bounced off the force field as did the telephone pole Raven hurled at him. Beast Boy bruised the side of his face, sending him to the ground with a nasty soreness. Each one had a similar thought in mind: _damn shield. _

Malchior laughed, a malicious sort of chuckle that you could hear in only nightmares. "The five of you look terribly exhausted," he paused. "Perhaps the five of you should get some rest. _Dormite astadep ago," _he chanted quietly.

Before any of them knew what was happening, they dropped to the black ground below them, deep in a leisurely sleep.

* * *

Raven was the first to wake up. Opening her eyes to a dense darkness, she couldn't tell whether or not she was still sleeping. It was night, late night, and all was menacingly quiet. An abnormal hush fell over the entire city because of it absence of breath.

As she stood up and her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw the city clearly in ruins. Not a living soul in sight and buildings opened up to the night sky. Parts of walls and ceilings, bricks and plasters blanketed the streets and the sidewalks were strewn with car pieces. Robin's motorcycle and the T-car, however, though dirtied from the dust, were perfectly fine. Raven flew up into the air and saw that the Titans Tower still stood proudly in the distance.

The tower only stood because they allowed it. This was the terrible truth. They were only alive because Malchior and Sagira had willed it. They would only stay alive until they decided they were bored of the Titans.

And Jump City was under their control in one day.

* * *

Fingers flipped through page after page in the long hours of night. A multitude of candles in varying heights lit up the desk on which she sat in. Five books stacked on either side, some she had finished and others she had yet to read, the others were scattered on the floor. She'd been taking notes from the books of dragons and history as well as made her own notes about the dreaded dragon and wizard. Pleasure forgotten, her only incentive was the information to take him down. She hadn't studied books in this manner since after his first betrayal and before they began talking again.

She had not been able to find the answer to a question previously in these books, but perhaps this time would be different. A new question, a new goal, she had to find a way to destroy Malchior. She had lived for those nights of talking to him for a very long time. The only thing to fire her spirit now was the thought of killing the white-haired wizard. The dragon who had broken her heart twice.

Love? No, she did not love him. She would admit to obsession, infatuation, anything before love. He had taken up such a large portion of her life… her heart, and to have him ripped from her soul in such a violent, painful way caused her much confusion and grief. The only way to soothe such injured emotions was to thrash out in the same vigorous way: to eradicate him from the world and her life in any way possible.

But how to do it? The Titans had never encountered someone as powerful as him before. The way he toyed with them earlier today was embarrassing and also discouraging. It would be up to her to find a way to take him down, for she was the one most connected to him. She could not let her friends down as she did before when she kept Malchior a secret from them.

Why couldn't she do anything right? Everyone kept on getting hurt around her. She was so careful, careful all the time, and for the one time she wasn't, a disaster ten times more devastating than every other predicament she avoided would blow up in her face. And it was killing her, peeling away at her flesh every time she thought about it. She had betrayed her friends by disregarding her strict taboos. She had betrayed herself for thinking that anyone could ever feel something for her.

She had to study. She had to find the answer. She turned to the next page, skimming the lines for a notable piece of information.

A steady rap on her door interrupted her thoughts. "Raven, can I come in?" she heard Robin say.

"I'm busy," she called back monotonously.

"This is important, Raven," he said sternly from the other side of the door.

"I'm in the middle of something important," she snapped but gave in. She opened the door with her powers and let him walk in. However, she refused to look up at him as she scanned page after page.

"You've been studying this since we got home." Raven couldn't tell if what he said was a statement or a question.

"I have," she said quietly. "We need to have a clear strategy for tomorrow."

"We got home around 8. It's three AM, Raven."

"Well in that case, we need a clear strategy for today."

"Five hours, Raven, five hours! This is madness!" he exclaimed. "This obsessive streak is worrying me."

"Well if you can't appreciate what I'm trying to do then I suggest that you leave my room."

"All of us are worried. You can't do this. We need to fight him, yes, but _you _need to take a different approach."

"You, of all people, are scolding me," she snarled, looking at her black haired friend for the first time. "You, and the Slade obsession. You were exactly how I'm like now and you treated all of us just as cruelly!"

The books fell off the table in a gust of black energy. Raven took a breath and a long silence followed shortly after. They looked at each other, both in their awkwardness, shame, and discomfort. She had no right to yell at him like that. He was only concerned for her, as was the rest of her friends. She sighed, getting to her feet, and looked into the eyes behind his mask. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. I suppose this is the frustration you've felt in the past. I truly don't mean to be like this, Robin. I apologize for what I said."

"I understand, Raven," he nodded with a smile, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We're connected, remember? You were in my mind. I know what it's like to be in your shoes. Minus the heart-breaking part, though," he paused. "We're going to fight him together, just as our team has always done. We're going to help you fight him and win back your peace of mind. You are our friend and this incident isn't going to change any of that."

Raven thought for a moment before beginning to talk. "You know, Robin, I've never doubted your ability as our leader. Or a friend," she gave him a small smile. "But if you really know what I'm going through right now, you'll let me study for at least two more hours."

"One."

"One and a half."

"Deal," he grinned and gave her a half hug with one of his arms. "Study hard, then. We're counting on you tomorrow."

Raven knew that it was just banter, but that pressure was not lifted from her shoulders.

* * *

**Well, I'm glad I got this chapter finished. Seven, Eight, and Nine left. Still a ways to go.**

**At the risk of sounding like a nerd, I've got Science Olympiads on April 30 and two Latin contests during the first week of April. I'm not going to have a lot of time for writing. After then, it'll be good. I might get one more chapter by April 30, but we'll see. The next one has some interesting events. I know this one was kind of boring, but it was needed in order to set the stage for later ones.**

**Thanks for your patience and your praise. I am very grateful for both.**

**Please review!**

**Kree**


	8. Chapter Seven: Breaking Barriers

**This will be an exciting chapter, but I don't know how long it will be. Next one I think will be terribly short unless I add something else, but this one is should be average. This one gets Beast Boy into the action and other characters as well.**

**Hopefully, I'll be able to finish this chapter within a month from the last.**

**Thanks again for being patient and for reviewing so faithfully.**

**Enjoy!**

**Kree**

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_The early morning light was an ally to the green skinned teenager as he hurried down debris covered streets. Moments ago, the sun had ventured into the terrifying place Jump City had transformed into. It was easier for him to scan the city this way, even though he could have just as easily turned himself into a creature with nocturnal vision, he preferred to search on foot as a human. After all, there was nothing like being human._

_Even now, he walked without the consent of his mind. His legs moved forward, taking him to some preposterous situation that the heart desperately and insanely desired. There was one goal, one image that stuck strong before his eyes. One name that seared across the tip of his mouth: Malchior._

_"Malchior!" Beast Boy screamed, stepping from side to the side of the ravaged town. "Malchior, where are you!" His voice was tired from yelling for so long. It cracked with his occasional syllables in a cursed name. "Malchior!" he called out again. "Come out! Come out and face me!"_

_Crazy. Yes, he had gone completely crazy. Driven with rage, a passion that could not be quenched, and envy no one on earth could handle with sanity. _"You must be the infamous Beast Boy," _Malchior's voice chanted in his brain. Black eyes, burning with such detestation, such triumph, stormed his mind with clarity. The battle the day before had churned his reason and rattled his spirit. There is but one intention in the identity of chaos: to destroy. And as far as Beast Boy was concerned, he would destroy the obsidian dragon and the only person who stood between the green changeling and the girl he…_

_He stopped in his tracks, his animal instinct taking over. There was breath, a lung taking in oxygen, an eerie presence in the air close by. _Someone was close! _The sense in his head strove to return, attempting to drag him away from an unwise situation. But because he _was_ so close, a reckless and passionate determination kept him steadfast and tall where he stood, holding his breath until he could see someone._

_A white mist glided across the street, blanketing the debris on the streets and sidewalks and the smashed cars that lay in haphazard rows. Had the whiteness always been there? It was quickly parted, however, as a shadow streaked the thick paleness. A humanlike figure stepped forward, halting his stride just outside the mist. The morning sunlight glimmered against the armor clad young man, his long white hair and black scarf, stationary, for there was no wind existent in the air. The wizard stood about fifty paces away from Beast Boy, upright and proud._

_Beast Boy clenched his fists at the sight of Malchior. An explosion cannot be withheld for so long and he was not used to repression anyway. He was exhausted, fatigued from the time of the day, the battle the day before, and walking around in search of him for so long. However, the adrenaline renewed his body as his eyes were set on the wizard as well as his fury and hatred._

_"Are you lost, Beast Child?" Malchior mused from afar. "Why so far from your friends?"_

_"I've come to kill you," he grit his teeth._

_"Are you serious?" the white haired teenager cocked an eyebrow, stifling a laugh. _

_"Of course I'm serious!" he snarled, suddenly transforming into a creature he had never even attempted before. He felt himself growing larger, stronger, and what awed him was the power he felt in his newfound claws. The fire in his heart could be transferred through his breath and the wings on the back of his great back, lined with tiny emerald scales, could take him as high as he wished. He stood taller than the buildings in Jump City and although he was exhilarated by the power in his new body, he was almost frightened by what he had become. No longer stood the awkward green teenager, the insecure jokester of the Teen Titans, but a terrifying dragon in all shades of viridian._

_"You _are _serious," Malchior said quietly, staring up Beast Boy from the ground below._

_"Let's settle this now!" Beast Boy roared, slightly surprised with himself. There were not too many animal forms where he still possessed his human speech._

_Malchior paused with a small smile. "You've never transformed into a dragon before, have you?" He asked with the answer already in his head. "You must be overwhelmed. There's nothing in the world like the feeling of being a dragon. The power…the strength…you feel practically naked when you transform back into a human." _

_"We're wasting time," he snapped. "Let only one of us will see the stars tonight."_

_"If you insist…" his voice trailed into oblivion as four beams of light broke apart his human body and his shadow grew to monstrous size…_

**

* * *

**

She shot up from her bed, drenched in sweat. It had not been two hours since she had crept into bed and then was jolted awake by horrifying images. Her slender fingers grasped the ends of her blanket, staring into the silent darkness of her room. She guessed that it was around early morning, only slightly earlier than she usually woke up. Barely rejuvenated from two hours of sleep, she forced herself out of her bed quickly. Her hand motioned for her dark blue cape to wrap around her shoulders, obscuring part of her clothing as it fluttered with her movement. The bedroom door slid to side to let her through as she glided hurriedly through the hallway. She stopped at one of her teammate's doors.

It was Beast Boy's.

She did not stop to knock on his door. She waved it open with one hand, holding a ball of generated light in the other. Scanning the room carefully, realizing the empty bed, she froze.

Her vision had been correct: Beast Boy was challenging Malchior.

_"Don't jump to conclusions," _she snapped at herself, rushing down the hallway into the main room. _"Maybe he's up already…he could be anywhere in the Tower…"_

But she couldn't believe that, even if she wanted to, nor would she even go and check. Beast Boy was fighting Malchior and she had to stop her green friend from getting hurt. Never mind that. She had to stop him from getting _killed_.

Closing her eyes, she whispered, "_Azareth, Metrion, Zynthos!" _Her body dissolved into the wispy black raven as the sable smoke rose to the ceiling. She felt herself rocket through the air, past walls and buildings and across the city in the blink of an eye. It was incredible sensation, to teleport, skimming across the world in seconds, watching her setting blur into a mass of color. She suddenly felt her body begin to take form once again and as she opened her eyes, she stood in the deserted streets of Jump City.

Nothing had changed much from the day before, but an eerie tremble blanketed the ground she stood upon. She instantly looked in the direction the tremors were traveling from and caught sight of two dragons, one of obsidian and the other of jade, slightly obscured by the wearied buildings in front of her. So it was true: her dream had been true.

Raven shot up in the air, high above the city walls and towards the two battling dragons. She watched the green creature swipe at the other, missing and falling forward, off balance. Beast Boy's breath wandered from side to side, up and down, in attempt to burn his enemy. Malchior needed only to use his wings to dodge Beast Boy's slow attacks in the air. Raven watched Beast Boy try to fly and prove a formidable opponent in the air, but Malchior struck him across the torso with his knife-like claw. As red glitter jumped out of Beast Boy's wound, a deafening roar filled the air, slipping through Raven's ears, penetrating her heart.

She watched Malchior toy with him the way he did with all of the Titans the day before. Malchior let Beast Boy make the assaults, tiring the inexperienced dragon, and then slamming him down with his own great attack. Senselessly, she stood spectator as Beast Boy's wounds multiplied, Malchior's attacks grew more fierce and fervent as he passionately took down the changeling Titan. The black dragon even used his fiery breath to injure her friend.

What was she doing, standing around like an audience member of some spectacular show? She raised her hands, black energy bursting from her palms.

It was then that Beast Boy caught sight of Raven in the distance as she prepared to shield him from Malchior's fire.

"No, Raven! Stay out of it!" he bellowed, dodging Malchior's attack for the first time.

Malchior tried to dig his claws into Beast Boy's flesh in one violent movement but the green dragon slipped under him and blasted his own flaming breath at the black dragon. Malchior growled in pain and with his magic, he threw Beast Boy at one of the city buildings, a small amount of debris ineffectively crushing him.

Beast Boy would not give up too easily. He rose from the parts of city walls and ceilings, exhaling a menacing gust of flame. Malchior created a shield to stop the fire just in time, sending the fire back at its creator. He launched himself in the air, traveling with the fire to hit the green dragon with a terrible impact: one of fire and brute force.

Enough was enough. Raven teleported in front of her green friend creating a black wall to protect both she and Beast Boy from Malchior. Malchior stopped in mid-flight as Raven's shield absorbed his blazing breath. "Stop this," Raven hissed at the two of them and then cast a menacing stare at Beast Boy. "Transform back."

"Get out of the way, Raven!" Beast Boy snapped. "The fight is not over until one of us is destroyed."

"Are you daft?" Raven shouted. "What part of _transform back_ do you not freaking understand?"

And so he did, shrinking in size until a beaten, teenage boy sat on the hard ground, his clothes torn in slashes. Cuts lined his skin line like the scales on his dragon body, blood trailing the length of his face. Gashes and burns, slapped on his skin every few inches or so, he hung his head in shame. His usually lively and buoyant green eyes had lost his luster and his hair hung haphazardly in all directions. Raven flew to the ground where he sat, instantly beginning to heal some of his wounds with her powers.

"Who in God's name gave you permission to go off challenging dragons?" she reprimanded fiercely. "Have you no sense, Beast Boy? Have you a brain at all?"

The black dragon also transformed back into the familiar young wizard they all detested. He approached the two of them, slowly, but quite confident in his strides. "Raven, your friend is terribly lucky to have you going around and saving his life just in the nick of time."

"Let me fight him, Raven," he struggled to his feet but she shot him down with a burst of her power.

"Don't you dare even get up, you fool," she barked, keeping her hold on him with a black fist.

"You have such a way with the male population," Malchior clucked in amusement. "Go on home. I'll let you nurse this pitiful worm back to his full health so I can battle the Titans as a whole once again."

"I guess I feel some sort of gratitude for what you are doing," Raven glared at him. "But not much."

"I only hope our fight today has knocked some sense into that friend of yours' thick, green head," he mused.

"No need to talk to him as if we were old friends discussing someone who is not present," she said cautiously. Helping Beast Boy to his feet, he could feel the tension in his movements, as if he would blow a fuse at any moment. She let him put an arm around her in order to support his weakened legs.

Malchior took no notice of it as stared into the eyes of the boy in her arms. "I never liked him. From the first time you described him, I never liked him. When I saw this pathetic, cowering creature for the first time I didn't like him, and I still don't like him now."

"Enemies don't have to like each other," she responded coldly.

"No, I suppose they don't," he said softly, his voice blurring with the wind.

She took Beast Boy closer into her arms. "I'm gonna teleport you home. Just stay close to me. You might feel a little weird, but--"

"Don't waste your energy. Permit me the honor," Malchior raised his arm towards them. Before Raven could refuse him, she and Beast Boy were surrounded with an explosion of blinding light. As the illumination decreased, they found themselves in Beast Boy's room. Same messy room, clothes scattered across the floor, a blanket tossed to the side of his bed so that it hung midair. So Malchior had teleported them home. Whatever, saved her some energy.

With Beast Boy still in her arms, she started walking with him to the living room. "Wait!" Beast Boy protested. "I wanna go to sleep."

"Don't be ridiculous," she snarled. "You'll bloody up your bedsheets. I have to heal you more and wrap your wounds in bandages. We're going to the living room."

"But I don't wanna go out there!" he exclaimed. "Not yet, anyway. I don't want them to know what happened."

"What are you gonna say about the cuts and bruises? That you wrestled with a pillow in the middle of the night?"

"Please, Raven," he begged, clinging to her arm. "Don't make me go out there yet. Let them see me later. Can we just stay in here? I don't mind bloodied pillows and sheets."

She gritted her teeth and then levitated her friend onto his bed. She stormed out of the room and into the empty kitchen. The Titans were not up yet to her relief. With the wave of her hand, a few items from the medicine cabinet, pills and bandages glided towards her. She filled a basin with water and grabbed a white cloth with her levitation as well. As she walked down the hallway, these items followed her into Beast Boy's room in an awkward sort of train. They set themselves in the air as Raven dropped to Beast Boy's bed and sat beside him. She took the cloth out of the water basin and began washing the cuts on his nearest arm.

He stopped her with a hand for a moment. With his hand, he tore off the shirt part of his uniform to make it a little easier for her. Dipping the wet cloth back into the water basin, she moved it across his chest, wiping the blood from his chest. They sat in silence, feeding off of each other's rage, for they both knew very well of the terrible demon of an emotion that inhabited each other's heart this morning. Raven, especially, drowned in her frustration as she cleaned the cuts on Beast Boy's legs. _How could he do this? How could he go out so carelessly and get himself nearly killed? _Beast Boy had been a joke to Malchior, she assumed, and Malchior would have probably killed him in the end?

How could he do this to her? How could he hurt like this, drive her completely insane?

It had suddenly occurred to Raven that she didn't know whether or not it was Malchior or Beast Boy she was thinking about.

A white bandage snaked around Beast Boy's arm in a vigorous motion, her slender fingers giving it direction. Repression was failing and words began to form in her mouth. _No! _She jerked herself back into control, but only for a moment. Her voice threw itself out of her throat and into the air. "You fool," she shook her head, her voice quiet and monotonous. "You thought you could fight a full fledged dragon, the most powerful wizard on Earth? What were you thinking, Beast Boy?" she demanded.

"I wanted to kill him," Beast Boy said softly.

"I want to kill him too, but that doesn't mean I go around challenging dragons by myself!" She scolded.

"I had to, Raven!" His tone grew a bit more confident. "After what he did to the city, to us, and to you! I had to kill him!"

"Well you certainly did a good job in doing it," she retorted acidly, starting to levitate the bandages around his chest. "Now tell me, why did you feel so obligated to go around slaying dragons?"

"I told you, I wanted to kill him!"

"I'm asking why."

"I wanted to kill him for you!"

"Now why would you do something stupid like that, even with the brain of a bird?" she snorted. "We were to fight Malchior as a team. One of shouldn't be going on some crazy and worthless kamikaze mission like you pulled."

"Raven, you're being the stupid one now," he shouted.

"Enlighten me." She cocked an eyebrow.

"Well if some dumb bastard took over the city, insulted me, and broke the heart of the girl I liked, _twice, _I think I have a good enough reasoning to want to kill him," he shot back.

Raven stared into his green eyes, her mind still processing his last statement. _What? What was this crazy boy saying now? _He liked her? How was that possible? So she dealt with it like most things that didn't make sense to her: she denied its truth and put it in the back of her mind.

"Something must have hit your head, _hard, _or you really are as imbecilic as you sound right now," she said coldly.

"All right, Raven!" He stood up from the bed, waving away the bandages that were wrapping away at his legs. "Do you know what really bugs me? It's that even though that bastard, Malchior, hurt you so much, you're still head over heels in love with him! Here I am-"

"I don't love Malchior!" she cried out. "I never loved him!"

"Would you just listen to me for one second?"

"Why should I listen to this bullshit?" she turned around, heading for the door.

"You don't know what it's like to be jealous like this!" he yelled, stopping Raven in her tracks.

She turned around slowly, but a ravaging beast thundered out of its cage finally in her heart and her eyes did not fail to show her murderous fire. "Jealous?" she breathed. "Jealous? I don't know what it's like to be _jealous_?" The objects in the room were levitating with black energy. "Let me tell you something, Beast Boy," her voice was booming. "Let me tell you about jealousy. I have been jealous of every person who's been able to show their emotions freely without killing someone. I have been jealous of every person who was just plain normal and were able to lead _normal _lives. I have been jealous of _all of you_ because you're wonderful and likable people while I'm just a half-demon freak from another world!" She leaned in towards her friend. "And you know what? I was even jealous of Terra! Do you know why, do you have the slightest, tiniest idea why?" she rambled. "It's because for the longest time I really liked you. So don't you dare tell me that I have no idea what it's like to be so jealous you wanna tear a person apart!"

The door slid to the side in a violent fashion and she hurried out, a flurry of black energy close behind. The levitating objects dropped to the floor, leaving Beast Boy to the silence and the darkness of his bedroom.

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It was clear to Robin and the rest of the Titans that they needed reinforcements. Robin called up Titans East and asked them to come over. They, Bumblebee, Aqualad, Speedy, and the Mas y Menos, arrived promptly at noon in their own ship. The Titans had even called up Hot Spot and Wildebeast to help them out. So twelve Titans arrived at tower in order to prepare to battle the most terrible enemy they had ever seen.

"Nice to see ya guys again," Cyborg greeted Titans East, slapping hands with Bumblebee.

"We appreciate all of you coming here," said Robin with a smile.

"We wouldn't want to miss the action," Speedy grinned.

Hot Spot and Wildebeast arrived shortly after Titans East and they were warmly let in by the ten Titans. They were led upstairs and into the central room of Titans Tower where they had all gathered together. A large, circular table had been set up to accommodate the twelve teenagers. However, Cyborg carried five additional chairs, two with one arm and three with the other. He set them around the circular table, which still had a lot of room left.

The others were confused. Finally, Starfire came up to him and asked, "Friend, who else is coming to this meeting of allies?"

A loud buzz rang through the room. "It's me," said an oddly familiar voice belonging to a girl.

"I'll go bring them up," Cyborg hurried through the sliding doors. The eleven Titans took their seats, however, while waiting for Cyborg to come back. Raven, who was to lead the session, sat beside Beast Boy and Robin. Starfire sat on Robin's right and there were six empty seats next to Beast Boy. Bumblebee took the seat beside Starfire, Speedy beside Bumblebee, Aqualad, Mas Y Menos, Hot Spot, and Wildebeast. Raven had several books in front of her, including the white book that had once been Malchior's prison.

"Should we wait-" Raven began but was interrupted by the sliding of the double doors. Cyborg entered the room…with five of the HIVE members as well: there was Jinx, Gizmo, Mammoth, Seemore, and Private Hive, standing quite comfortably in Titans Tower.

The Titans were immediately startled. They jumped up from their chairs in fighting stances, horrified that Cyborg had brought five villains into their midst.

"No, no, wait!" Cyborg jumped in front of them. "They're gonna help us!"

"Help us what, die a little faster?" Beast Boy snapped.

"Oh come now," Jinx's soothing voice inched their necks with her steps. "I hope there's no hard feelings between us after all we've been through together."

"Cyborg, what is this?" Robin demanded, glaring at each and every one of the Hive members.

"I told Jinx about the situation," Cyborg explained.

"Me and my teammates talked it over," Jinx began grabbing an empty seat and motioning to Cyborg and the rest of HIVE to come sit down. Cyborg sat in between Beast Boy and Jinx. "And we decided that although we usually like to show up you Titans, Malchior is a great threat to us as well as you. So we will team up with you for this cause for just this once."

"One question, before we go on," Robin interrupted. "Why did you tell Jinx in the first place, and privately, for that matter? If you thought asking HIVE was a good idea, why didn't you bring all of us to ask them?"

"Eh," Cyborg flushed, his chocolate skin tinged with a strawberry shade. "Actually, Jinx and I have been seeing each other for more than the past two months."

"You what?" Beast Boy slammed his hands down on the table. "You? And Jinx? Going out?"

"That's usually what seeing each other means, Beast Boy," Raven cut in.

"And you didn't mention this before because?" Robin cocked an eyebrow.

"The same reason I didn't tell you about Malchior," Raven responded before Cyborg could speak. "Who would approve of one person from one side falling for someone on the opposite? Listen, it's been more than two months and the Earth _still _hasn't exploded. Forget about Cyborg keeping her a secret. Why don't we give Cyborg's pink haired girlfriend and her friends a chance to help us fight Malchior, all right?"

"Even though I know nothing of the HIVE, she's right," Hot Spot spoke up. "Put aside the issue of their identity and let them help us. There is a strength in numbers, is there not?"

"Look," started Cyborg. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys about us before. I was just really worried that-"

"It's all right, Cy," Robin interrupted. "We need all the help we can get. So, Raven, you wanna start the meeting?"

Raven nodded, standing up, as everyone rested comfortably in their seats. Capturing their attention in their somberness, she began to speak. "We face two great enemies that have jointed together: Malchior and Sagira the Ageless. Together, they are nearly unstoppable, but if we take them down one at a time, it's possible that we can defeat them." She lifted up a book. "They have also created an army of Gostulings, ghost like creatures, to help them take over the city. Although they are formless, you can destroy them by forming some kind of shape around them with anything, fire, water, earth, paint, and strike them. But they are a terror to look upon and you must keep in control. The atmosphere is one of being doused in the dreary dead, so you must control your fear."

She passed around the book where she had found information about the Gostulings. The Titans looked at with interest and she started to talk again. "I do not know how we could destroy Malchior for good, but I have an idea in stopping him temporarily." She lifted the white book up with her hands. "Malchior was trapped in this book for over a thousand years. After I let him out, I was able to put him back in…" she paused. "I'm hoping that I can put him back in the book with the same curse. It will be difficult to trap him again for a third time, however, and we must find dragonfire in order to destroy the book. I know not of any dragonfire but I believe that this is a gamble that we must take."

"There's dragonfire at the Hearth of Draco ," said Jinx. "Its fire came from one of the earliest dragons and its priestesses tend to it and keep it burning."

"Of course!" Raven could have slapped herself for not thinking of it. "So Cyborg _has_ found himself a smart girl," she mused, forcing a small smile at the witch. Jinx flashed a crooked smile as well. Perhaps the two of them _could _get along.

"Having taken down Malchior, he can focus on Sagira and the Gostulings. Some of the Gostulings will disappear after Malchior is gone for I believe that it is he who powers most of the creatures. Sagira does not have enough power to do it herself without using her magic to keep her looking youthful. Sagira may be powerful, but not enough to face all of us. Worst comes to worst and she disappears because she cannot win the battle. We'll have to improvise after that."

"Exactly what sort of creature is Malchior?" asked Aqualad.

"He is a young wizard who has the ability to transform into a dragon," Raven explained. "He is extremely skilled in magic so do not underestimate him. He toyed with the last time, but when he gets serious, we'll have an uncomfortable brush with death."

"Where will we fight tomorrow?" came the next question from Speedy.

"Most likely in another city. We'll have to listen to reports and travel quickly to stop them from taking over."

"What is to happen," Starfire began, "if you cannot trap Malchior in the book again like the previous occasion?"

"We have to hope that it works," Raven said uneasily. "And if it doesn't, we'll have to make a new plan. Fight him a little longer, but ultimately, hope for another day to prepare fighting him."

"Jinx, you sure we're on the right side?" Gizmo elbowed her.

"Of course we are," she snapped harshly. "Are you stupid? We can't let Malchior or Sagira take over!"

"It would have been a whole lot easier if we joined them," he grumbled to himself but was halted by a sharp kick from the pink haired witch.

"I would suggest that you train, get a good rest, and eat well for tomorrow." As Raven said these words, she couldn't help thinking that she was talking as if they were preparing for a simple sports competition. Who knew that theses grim circumstances could be so similar? "I'm finished rambling away. We have some rooms prepared, so let us know when you want to go up to them and we'll take you there."

The Titans and the members of HIVE stood up and began to separate ways. Most of them were interested in training immediately, so they hurried in the same, general direction towards the double doors. While the Titans mingled among themselves, the HIVE made an effort to keep the group away from their short-term allies. Only Cyborg and Jinx walked together, breaking the boundary the two groups created. Raven started picking up her books with levitation while Beast Boy remained in his seat beside her.

"Raven," Beast Boy put a hand on her shoulder as she began to stand up. "Could I talk to you in private for a sec?"

"Sure," Raven replied with a quiet nod. The situation earlier this morning had made them awkward for the rest of the day, but she refused to show it verbally. They walked over towards the black couches by the windows, setting themselves down in the center of its comfort. Pushing the books to the side, they sat a considerable distance away from each other, beginning the conversation with a silence that was setting the stage for an explosion.

"First off, I'm really sorry for this morning," Beast Boy fiddled with his hands. "For running away without telling any of you, saying all the things I did… and never taking the chance to thank you for saving my life."

"And I hope you'll forgive me for my last outburst as well," Raven nodded stoically. "The both of us were pretty heated this morning. I don't think we really meant what we said."

"Yeah, but I also wanted to talk to you about something else," Beast Boy's expression shifted. The drum in Raven's heart came to a horrifying standstill. She knew what was coming, or at least she was pretty sure she did, and though she did her best to fight it, she could not stop the inevitable.

"What, Beast Boy?" she asked quietly, keeping her droning tone consistent.

"Raven, I really like you," his voice swayed with sincerity as he gazed into her frozen eyes. "You were always there for me, and especially after Terra-" he swallowed. "And I guess since she's been gone, I really started to like-"

"Don't let me be a rebound, Beast Boy," she stated coldly.

"What?"

"You only think that you like me, but you don't," she shook her head. "Don't do this, Beast Boy. You're still too much in love with Terra to like me. I won't let you disappoint yourself in chasing someone like me."

"That's not all that it is, is it?" Beast Boy looked at his hands, his voice trembling from her frigid aura. "You still love him, don't you? You still love Malchior."

"I won't get into this again, Beast Boy," Raven murmured, wincing in the couch. "I never loved him."

"You still won't give it up, will you," he laughed weakly. He moved his hand up in the air, a hesitant bird first learning how to take off into the sky and then drifting downwards in a shaky motion. His hand found her hand and she almost flinched at his touch. He grasped her slender fingers gently until she finally gave in, holding onto his, her head wanting nothing more but to run away from these emotions. She was falling, falling for Beast Boy, but she clung to anything to keep herself from hitting the ground. Something inside of her wanted her to jerk away from him, let him know that this was not right, but her friendly notions kept her from doing other wise.

"Do you think that you could ever like…" Beast Boy's voice trailed into a hushed breath, barely scraping through his vocal cords, "…love me?"

She pulled away from his grasp, her tearful eyes tearing away to the side. A rush of black energy filled her surroundings, but she quickly regained control. With a stifled sniffle, she said sternly, "I could not promise such a thing." Her voice slipped into pleading. "Please, Beast Boy. Don't do this. To both of us."

His nodding was robotic, more of a movement to keep him from crying himself. But he broke through the barrier they had unconsciously set and he stood up, approaching her, and finally bending down. His soft lips found her cheek and he planted a kiss. "I'll wait for you, Ray. If I have to, I'll wait for you."

Oh what twisted ironies life does weave.

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**Muhaha, I'm finally done with this chapter!**

**Sorry for the delay. I hope you guys forgive me and enjoy. **

**Please review!**

**Kree**


	9. Chapter Eight: So Human

**Looks like people were sorta upset about the last chapter. Don't worry, peeps. This isn't a Beast Boy/Raven story. **

**I've been looking forward to this chapter for a long time. Don't know how long it'll take me to write this, especially while doing another writing assignment simultaneously, but I'll do the best I can to get this chapter up a little more quickly than usual.**

**Thanks for reviewing and being patient.**

**Enjoy.**

**Kree**

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When the entire city is yours, where _do _you choose to live? The tallest skyscrapers, the penthouses, an inconspicuous home on the outskirts of town? Malchior and Sagira would have made their base a castle, a sort of fort had they been in a time period Malchior was used to. No such palace of grandeur existed in Jump City, however, so they made do with whatever was there. On the western border of the city was a boulevard of luxury houses, each one large and comfortable compared to the standards of today. They settled in one of them, using it as a temporary hideout and a place for rejuvenation after battle.

It would be easy for the Titans to find them if they wished. Many Gostulings stood guard outside and inside the building. They would appear, to the Titans, to be guarding something or someone, and the creatures would not fail to keep them out or else let the Titans sneak up on them unnoticed. Malchior also held up a great mind barrier around the house so that Raven or any other could just teleport inside. However, they doubted the Titans would be looking for another fight in the night. Not after a morning to afternoon beating.

Malchior sat in one of the elaborate bedrooms, against the end of a canopy bed, a forest of jade cloth flowing around him. Although Sagira had protested, he had chosen an separate room from her, for his own privacy. Slightly flustered at his rejection, he said that he needed his solitary time to concentrate on his magic and to stay focused on the mission. After they were done with the world...

He fiddled with a small glass marble with his fingers, tossing it up levitation, eyeing the colorless bead as it pierced the air, over and over again. The door of his bedroom suddenly swung open, a golden haired sorceress coming through. Her beauty lit the dimly illuminated room but her aura quickly destroyed any of the light she possessed. She carried a staff in her hand, thudding softly on the ground as she approached him.

"It is time," she began, "for me to perform a spell of youth." Even in the darkness, she looked hesitant in her eyes. "I must go to the graveyard to collect some ingredients. However..." her voice trailed off.

"Yes?" Malchior raised an eyebrow.

"My bringing the staff there would attract unwanted spy spirits," she explained. "Though I placed many spells on it to protect my staff... I would feel much more comfortable if you could hold it for me instead."

"Of course, my lady," he slipped off the bed with a bow. "As long as you have none of your magic slaughtering me on the spot."

"Never, my dragon friend," she smiled as he took the staff from her. She turned around for the door, her dark blue cape flowering behind her in a breeze she created with her motion. Malchior, with the staff in one hand and a small colorless orb in the other, climbed back onto the enormous bed.

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Sabingham: that's where the reports of a terrible dragon, a sorceress, and an army of ghosts had been coming from. The Titans and their new allies took the hint and headed that way early in the morning. They split up into small groups in order to take Malchior and Sagira by surprise when they attacked. Raven, book levitating in the folds of her cape, teamed up with Hot Spot and Mammoth. They went traveled to the outskirts of Sabingham and started tunneling underground, Raven using her powers, Hot Spot, blowing up the Rocks, and Mammoth making sure the dirt and rock did not collapse on them.

Beast Boy bolted through the seas as a shark with Aqualad and Gizmo in his own underwater vehicle that resembled a spider. In the air, Starfire and Bumblebee flew together. On land, Wildebeast (the car was adjusted to a convertible due to his size), Jinx, and Cyborg in the T-Car took the north approach Sabingham while Robin on his motorbike, Speedy on an additional bike, and the Mas Y Menos on, well, their feet, took the south. Hopefully, Malchior wouldn't be able to handle this many people in so many angles. The Titans were doubtful of this anyway, but they hoped to get a few hits at him so Raven could cast her curse.

There were also the Gostulings to deal with. They figured out before leaving that Aqualad with water, Hot Spot with fire, Robin, Mas Y Menos, and Beast Boy with paint would give the creatures some form. Meanwhile, Raven, Mammoth, Starfire, Bumblebee, Wildebeast, Jinx, Cyborg, Speedy, and Gizmo would attack the Gostulings with ease. "Strike Malchior a lot so he weakens," Raven encouraged. "I'm going to need as much help as possible to injure him."

Wildebeast, Cyborg, and Jinx stepped out of the car to face the black dragon and the enchanting sorceress first. Navigating through the rubble, crushed cars, and escaping people, he parked in the center of the street where their opponents stormed Sabingham. The three of them got out and stood in front of them confidently, repressing anxieties and second thoughts that haunted their heads.

The blonde haired woman and the beast stood level to them as they had been previously inspecting the city's banks. Sagira was surprised to see two new faces and the absence of four but Malchior snorted in amusement. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd bring me some new people to meet," Malchior boomed in a terrible voice.

"We've said our hellos but it's time to say goodbye," Cyborg charged up his cannon. "Don't miss me too much, honey," he aimed for the black dragon. Two pink discs formed in the witch's hand and Wildebeast prepared to rush out at their adversary.

But Starfire and Bumblebee struck him from behind with starbolts and laserbeams. He roared out in astonishment as the two girls flew around them. Sagira tried to blast Bumblebee with her staff but the Titan shrunk to her minuscule bee-like size and dodged it easily. The sorceress scowled at this imperfection and quickly turned to Malchior.

"The rest of the Titans will arrive soon. Shall we finish them off this time?" asked Sagira.

"Don't be ridiculous," Malchior scorned her. "They are no match for us. We keep them alive for our entertainment," he paused. "But I do insist that you confront the leaders of this city immediately."

"And what? Not stick around for this so called _entertainment_ you speak of?"

"There shall be other times, love," the word was gruff coming out of the mouth of a dragon. "Now hurry. Before the other Titans arrive."

She hurried away, dissolving in the air, pouting like a child who was just denied a sugary treat. The group of teenagers wasted no time: Wildebeast ran up to him, charging with his horns ready to pierce through dragon skin. Malchior flicked him away with the blunt part of his claws but was immediately bombarded with Cyborg's cannon.

An earthquake disturbed the ground on which Malchior stood upon but before he realized what was happening, the street burst out into an explosion of rock, asphalt, and fire. From underneath the dragon, Raven, Hot Spot, and Mammoth emerged and attacked him from the bottom. He growled against in frustration as the fire skimmed by his scaled and as he was bombarded by sharp rocks below him. But with a defiant sort of expression, his red eyes lit up as he looked upon Raven, flashing her his fangs. "It's so nice to see you again, my dear."

"I've been looking forward to killing you for a long time," she gritted her teeth, using her powers to let part of a skyscraper rocket down towards him. He put up a shield to protect him from the debris, starbolts, and laserbeams coming from above but turned around just in time to see a tidal wave coming straight at him. Three figures rode these waters: Aqualad at the head, a giant green squid, and Gizmo inside his spiderlike transporter.

The wave crashed against the dragon but the creature held its ground and eventually flew up out of the waters. Aqualad commanded most of the water from the harbor to retreat but used some of it to elevate himself to where the dragon floated in the air. Beast Boy turned into a pterodactyl, scooping up Cyborg from the ground as Starfire picked up Wildebeast and carried him up. Jinx and Bumblebee shot at Malchior but he dodged everything they launched at him. He put up another shield, this time, one where he was comfortably positioned in the center of a violet orb.

But as he did, the Spanish speedsteers snuck through his defensive magic before it was enclosed completely around the dragon. They began to race around and around the orb, irritating the dragon with their blurred images and garbled Spanish. He got rid of the orb so that the Mas Y Menos fell into the levitation powers of Raven and also let Speedy shoot his arrows at the beast in the sky. Robin jumped up from the top of a building, swinging a rope around Malchior body. He landed on the obsidian scaled dragon's back and pulled out a sword. Malchior shook him off with an upside down flight maneuver but Robin was brought down to safety by Raven's powers.

Cyborg and Hot Spot tried one last time to strike the dragon but Malchior conjured up a shield to absorb the impact. "Titans, I must admit," he said calmly. "You tire me today. I think I'll take a brief rejuvenation period and let the Gostulings enjoy themselves now."

From the ground arose at least one hundred of the creatures Raven had described to them before. Some took to the air while others stayed on the ground where some of the Titans stood. By description, she had been quite accurate, for the Titans and their allies were familiar with the appearance of the Gostulings. However, nothing could have prepared them for the sickening and terrifying feeling halting the continuation of the beating in their chest. Nothing could have given them the slightest idea of what it was like to be surrounded by death, immersed in its bitter hopelessness and overwhelming power.

They stood in the presence of the ghost like creatures, a pale cloudiness in color, taking a humanoid figure with a head, two arms and two legs. The teenagers could not respond to this army for a long time but Raven quickly regained control of her stability. Fear? Ha! She didn't _do_ fear.

"_We must not demean life by standing in the awe of death,_ my good friend David Sarnoff once said," Raven said in an inciting, yet almost jovial way. "Control your fear! You do not stand in death as these creatures do. You stand in _life_."

The others grabbed back onto their normal states of mind and focused on the task at hand. Beast Boy transformed into an eagle after he grabbed several pouches from off his belt. These contained green paint and with his claws, he slit them open and dropped them on several Gostulings. Bumblebee hit the painted areas right on the spot with her laserbeams as they watched the creatures shriek and tear apart into different directions, eventually sinking to the ground and leaving a puddle of blood.

Malchior was stunned for a moment but then he chuckled to himself, a deafening laugh escaping the mouth of a dragon. Of course Raven had figured out how to fight the Gostulings. He had given her the knowledge himself.

The other Titans lashed out onto the Gostulings. These spirit warriors, deadly swords at hand that were all too physical for their ghost-like appearance, fought back with vigorousness. Hot Spot and Aqulad used their elements to cover the Gostulings so that the others would have a quick moment to apply a deadly blow. The Mas Y Menos moved through the crowd with paint brushes so that Wildebeast could stab the Gostulings with his horns.

The midget genius was enjoying himself. He had created a robot to apply the pain and then the killing blow at the same time. He marched through the Gostulings, destroying them one by one with a snicker and a, "take that, you booger-eating-numb-skull!" Robin used a device he had made himself, a gun that was filled with sticky glue. He shot it out at the warriors as Speedy and Starfire hit their marks.

Mammoth battled the creatures using his brute force after they were given form and Raven carried rocks and rubble with her powers to crush the army. Many of them came after her, but Jinx or Cyborg would give her a hand and help her when she stood outnumbered. Nearly half of the army was gone before Malchior the dragon waved his arm and the Gostulings sunk into the ground.

"Enough is enough," he said grimly. "Let's fight."

A breath of dragonfire slipped through his white teeth at the Titans and Aqualad formed a wall of water to absorb most of it. Dragonfire still came through but the Titans moved out of the way in time. Mammoth tried hurling debris at the dragon but Malchior swished away as if he were chasing away a fly. Jinx hit the building beside the dragon with her pink discs so that would fall upon him but he used levitation to fling it Robin and Speedy who were rushing up.

Starfire and Bumblebee's starbolts and laserbeams he caught in midair and flung it back at them. Gizmo was beginning his assualt but Malchior stuffed the eight legged robot into his mouth and spat it back out. The dragon laughed at Hot Spot's display of fire for he could blow it out, even as it was thrown at him, with a snort. Cyborg shot at him with his sonic cannon but Malchior blocked it with the piece of asphalt Wildebeast had thrown at the same time.

_It was time, _Raven agreed to herself with a nod. She pulled out the white book with black engravings from the folds of her cape, simultaneously catching the attention of a horrible dragon mage.

"Why," he said quietly, "I believe it's the book I called home."

"Goodbye, Malchior," she said confidently, raising the book into the air. "_Aldruon Enlenthra Nalthos Sola Narisnor!"_

A white beam swirled around the great beast, pouring out of the cover of the book, just as it had before. But instead, it did not tear up the dark creature as it had before. It was as if the scaled hide of the evil dragon absorbed the illumination that dissolved into nothingness. Malchior was still there, unaffected, it seemed, and perfectly outside the book. Raven stared at him in horror. What happened?

"Surely you did not think that the curse would work again? Certainly not for my third time. I've grown stronger and more resistant to that spell each time. It's impossible to trap me in that book for a third time," he chortled as a dragon would.

Raven dropped to her knees, staring at the book she held in her hands. Useless, their attempts had been useless. The work and hours she had put into developing a strategy, their battle just now... it was just about hopeless. How could they defeat an enemy such as Malchior?

"Maybe tomorrow, things will prove more fortunate." She looked up to see that Malchior had changed into his human body, silver armor and long white hair. "Probably not," he mused, stepping away from the downcast Titans. "Probably not."

Malchior's humanoid image blurred in with the city setting until they could see him no longer. Robin and Beast Boy rushed to Raven's side, trying to comfort her with gentle caressing and few words. All knowing that there was no use in saying what everyone was thinking already, the road was quiet. Once again, the Titans were left in a desolate city where silence ruled. The plague that had hit Jump City destroyed Sabingham. Once again, the Titans were left with the question of how they were going to stop him and Sagira when it was Malchior who spared their lives every time.

"He's kind of attractive, actually," Jinx tried to make light of it as she whispered to Bumblebee.

It's hard to make light of anything as dark as this.

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**_"_**_What do we do now?" Starfire asked as the exhausted Titans sat in the central room, sitting in silence on the couches or taking care of each other's wounds. "What do we do now?"_

_Not a word was spoken as the teenagers locked themselves in a glum disposition. For Raven, Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy, it was another failure. For the others, it was a first encounter with the most powerful force they ever came up against. But now that the book plan had not worked, they sat in questioning: what do we do now?_

Raven shook away the scene from her head as she scoured the night sky. Yes, they had looked to her for answers. She had looked to her books and studies for answers. They had looked to her for a plan but she could think of nothing. Nothing but his.

_Malchior_... she hated the poison his name carried into her head. Every time they fought, even being in his mere presence flaunted the fact that he had betrayed her, told her that he _loved her_, and then fooled around with her life and the lives of her friends like toys. She had known this abhorrence before, this pure loathing of the young man who tore up her heart. For a second time, he did the same but this time, she was able to pick up the pieces. This time, she replaced, perhaps, the somewhat of an attraction to him, with her detestation, and used that as a cohesive to put back the pieces. Yes, now she was stronger. Her hate what was what healed her and she was ready to do what had to be done.

And she would slit Sagira's throat. A thousand times, perhaps. Whatever made her feel satisfied.

She flew above a ruined city, darkened buildings that have only been just a few days vacant by civilization. It seemed like years ago when people had last lived there. There were no city lights: just the myriad stars that shimmered across the warm blanket of black. Stars never before seen by the human eyes peeked their way through the unusual darkness, guiding the violet haired girl through the sky. A midnight wind skimmed the surface of her body, sending her a slight shiver but it was nothing she wasn't used to. She shuddered because of the task that lay before her.

_"Gizmo, please, Gizmo, don't go!" Jinx cried out, holding onto the arm of the small genius. _

_Raven had just walked out of her room to hear Jinx's plead from down the hallway. She could not see what was going on, but she perched herself on the ceilings as a raven in the shadows of the hallway. She did not want them to see her there._

_"I'm not going to die with the rest of you snot-brained idiots!" he snapped. "And if I have to see you make kissy faces at the hunk of metal for one more second, I'll-"_

_"Gizmo, you're like a brother to me. I need you with me."_

_There was a strange pause. "A brother, eh? Just a brother..." his voice trailed off. "All the more reason why I have to get out of here. Come on, Mammoth."_

_"You too?" her voice twisted in agony. "Mammoth, not you too!"_

_"I can't let Gizmo go by himself," he said in a saddened voice. "Goodbye, Jinx," he and Gizmo started down the hallway where Raven hid._

_"Fine!" Jinx yelled down the passageway. "Go on, get out of here! If we die, you die too! We don't need you losers, anyway!"_

The pain in Jinx's voice cursed her still as she glided through the thick atmosphere. She had to make this work, not only for Jinx, but for everyone who was cursed to die.

Her eyes scanned across cars and rubble that lay in haphazard mounds or scattered across the roads and parks. She looked for signs of of habitation, of people, specifically, Malchior and Sagira, living in one of the buildings or houses. As she reached the outskirts of town where the luxury homes were positioned, she caught sight of the Gostuling posts roaming the property where the only lights in the city came from. Malchior and Sagira had not bothered to hide where they were staying. They didn't really have to, for they were protected by Gostulings and the Titans would not be looking for another fight after losing terribly in the day.

"_Azareth Metrion Zynthos," _she canted quietly, performing a teleporation spell. Her body was engulfed by a large black bird and she felt herself jolt through the air until she felt materialized again. She had to admit, she was somewhat surprised. She was expecting some sort of shield to block her from coming in that way. Of course, a shield conjured by a wizard could be easily broken if the mind was not strong enough or distracted by something else...

She found herself inside of the extravagant house, standing in the foyer beside the front door. A crystal chandelier glittered its silver in the dim illumination of the stars but other than that, she could see no other detail of the room. Only the palatial stairs in the center of the room was plainly in view and she levitated herself up to the top of them and looked around. One door was bordered by light, indicating the presence of someone awake. She would not venture into that room, not tonight...

Teleporting in an out of the remaining nine rooms, she took a few steps into each room, looked around and then went on to the next. Each room had a mini hallway leading to the larger space of it with a stand and either a decorative vase or an artificial flower bouquet atop it. Each time, she would peak in towards the bed, look for a figure in the covers and then try the next room.

Eight down, and there was just one more. She held her breath as she teleported into the mini hallway of the last bedroom. She leaned over just a bit to catch a glimpse of the bed.

Indeed, someone was there, sitting on the far side of the bed, back turned. The figure had not noticed her presence. She tried to figure out who it was: white hair gave away his identity. He was leaning over, his face buried in his left hand and his elbow propped up against his thigh. Soft whimpers seemed to be coming from his side of the room.

It suddenly occurred to Raven that he was crying.

Crying? What would the bastard have to cry about? Was he suddenly feeling remorse for the cities that he destroyed? Raven almost laughed at the thought but she took another glance at the weeping wizard.

His breath stammered in an awkward rhythm and he sniffed once every fifteen seconds or so. She could not see his face, but there was no doubt about it: Malchior was truly crying. But how could he cry, after all that he has done? How could that monster have the nerve to show that he was human after everything that happened. She grew angry and then pulled out a poisoned dagger from the side of her belt, preparing for the assault.

She would kill him now, she thought to herself. Kill him when we was weak, helpless, and unknowing. Destroy the man who had destroyed her before. Cut him off from her life. She fingered the weapon, her arms ready to make that final swipe to end his existence. But her legs would not move. She could not bring herself to levitate and fly at him. Most importantly, her eyes would not move from the image of the sobbing young wizard and her ears would not close to his cries.

Crying? How could he be crying?

No, this bastard wasn't going to suck any pity out of her, she shook her head. His destruction had been long delayed and now she would get rid of him once and for all. Whatever he was crying for, he deserved it, just as he deserved the death sentence she was about to fulfill if it weren't for her damn, hesitating muscles...

_I could not kill someone when they're crying._

_Yes, _she grit her teeth. _I must_. And she could certainly kill this wizard if he were bawling on the ground for all she cared.

But her heart went out to Malchior as he sat on the bed. Her eyes softened and the hatred that once held up her heart was washed away by the tears that fell down his cheeks. For a moment, all she wanted to do was rush to his side, comfort him, wipe away the tears as he had once did for her. She nearly screamed at this thought when she realized that she had lost control--

When she realized that she could not kill Malchior.

_I can't do this, _she put her hand on the small stand, shaking her head. _I've failed them. I've failed everyone. I could kill him now, but I can't. I've betrayed them once again._

As she was about to teleport away, she bumped her foot against the stand. With a slight gasp, she tried to teleport but Malchior was too quick. He jumped up and grabbed her arm before she could leave the world. His eyes widened as he recognized her quickly as did her then she first caught a glimpse of the wet trails running down his face. Quickly wiping them away with one arm, he did not realize his firm grip on her. He spun her away from the door and further into the bedroom, grabbing hold of her other arm as well.

"Raven?" His mystified voice whispered her name in horror. "How long have you been here?"

"I just got here," she lied quietly, refusing to look into his black eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he questioned sternly.

"I was actually on my way out."

"What are you doing here?" he asked again. She would not look at him or reply to his question. "What are you doing here?" his voice grew in frenzy and in volume as he gripped her shoulders. Still, her voice stood steadfast in her throat and would not come out at his command. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" he screamed, shaking her vigorously, until she threw off his arms with her hands to stop him.

"I've come to kill you!" she screamed back at him. "I came here to kill you!"

"Is that so?" he nodded in a fanatic motion. "Then kill me!" he flung his arms up into the air. "Go ahead, kill me! I won't stop you, Raven. Strike!" he pointed to his chest, devoid of the armor she usually saw him wearing. "Kill me, Raven! Kill me!"

Why couldn't she kill him? Why couldn't she strike? The emotions she thought she had banished flooded her eyes, causing her to throw her glance in another direction.

"No!" she spun away from him, trying to hurry out the window, but he grabbed her wrist with his hand, pulling her back towards him.

He looked her straight in the eye and she could she the grief and insanity gleaming from his coal black eyes. He looked at her and laughed as his other hand ventured to stroke her cheek. "After all this time..." he laughed. "After all I've done... with all your hatred, you _still _can't kill me. Not even when you have the chance. I'm flattered, Raven."

"I will kill you, Malchior," she choked.

"So kill me now, sweet Raven. Kill me now: this is the only chance you'll ever get."

There was a loud rapping on his bedroom door and they both looked in its direction. "Malchior, what's going on?" Sagira's voice shouted through the doorway.

Malchior led her to the balcony in his bedroom and handed her a necklace with a colorless marble. "Get out," he said. "If you wear this, the Gostulings won't be able to see you and chase after you. Hurry, before Sagira sees you."

She put on the necklace reluctantly and levitated into the black sky. She never took her eyes off the young wizard as he watched her fly away. Not bothering to repress anymore, she cried silently, the tears adding to bright sand in the sky. Her heart was heavy, not only because she failed, but because she had circumnavigated a terrible predicament and was back where she started--

Never before had he seemed so human.

Never before had she seemed so weak.

* * *

**That was fun. I actually spent like five hours straight doing this. Haha...have to do this more often after finals are over...**

**Only one more chapter left, pretty crazy! I gotta thank you guys for sticking with my slow updates and reviewing faithfully. Your reviews bring a smile to my face everytime.**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**Kree**


	10. Chapter Nine: Fools Often Fall in Love

**Last chapter... man, I've been writing this thing since October! What a lazy ass I am... but I've enjoyed it.**

**I guess it's time to tie everything up. Though I don't really know how long I can make this...**

**Enjoy!**

**Kree**

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The roof. The roof had proven to be one of her precious sanctuaries many times before. Raven had flown to this sanctuary on this dark morning after her failure with Malchior. She did not meditate nor did she sit on the ledge. She just stood on top of the roof, staring up into speckled sky. The violet haired girl was a statue, her breath and heart still, except for when the early morning breeze rippled through her dark blue cape and silken tresses. Her stoic expression was not held with ease, if anyone who saw her might believe, for whatever held her standing was slowly crumbling by the second. Her dark eyes, overwhelmed by the color of the night, was a puzzle of pieces of sadness, of confusion, of anger, with parts of it missing. To look into her eyes was the only way to tell if the adolescent girl felt at all.

It bothered her, seeing him cry. It more than just bothered her, it mocked her to the very tip of sensation in her body. How could one such as Malchior cry, reveal his humanity in his monster identity? And more importantly, why did it have to be revealed to her? She had submitted to the weakness of her heart and failed to destroy him when she had the chance. When would that chance come again? Never?

All because she had fallen for a white haired wizard and his pretty words.

She watched the sunrise, hoping that she would be inspired or possibly rejuvenated by the sight of the celestial body's elevation. Hoping that the illumination would help her spirits rise so that she would be ready to fight him once again. But the light from the sun brought her further into her empty state as she wondered why the world had not stopped for her as everything she was so confident of fell apart.

With the sun came a voice from behind. She was astonished to hear it but she did not flinch at its sound nor did she turn around to acknowledge it. Her heart trembled in its presence but her body made no motion in response.

"Sagira doesn't know you came," said the voice of the young wizard from behind.

She did not speak or nod in reply. What was she to say? _Oh fantastic, thanks for covering and bringing me the news!_

"I just wanted to make sure you got home safely..."

_So that I'd be in a healthy condition to play with later on?_ Not to mention that it had been hours since she'd left his domain and arrived at Titans Tower. No doubt he already knew of her condition anyway because he was all-powerful-all-knowing-Malchior-of-Nole. She stiffened, even more than she had been before as he continued to speak.

"We're going to Silver City, today," said Malchior. "I thought I might as well let you know early-"

"How dare you," Raven interrupted, her voice barely above a whisper. She turned around and looked into his black eyes, her gaze intense with a mixture of untamed feelings. "How dare you come up here and talk to me as if we were old friends discussing a date later this afternoon."

The white haired young man was now left in silence. His eyes trailed the floor in his hesitation and perhaps even embarrassment.

"How dare you toy with me by alluding that you care about my safety? That you give me this necklace," she tore it off from her neck and flung it into the air, using her magic to smash the small marble into a thousand tiny pieces. An explosion of orange and red mist colored the morning sky and then quickly dissolved with the atmosphere. "...to keep me safe from the Gostulings? Don't you understand what I'm trying to do?" she shouted. "I'm trying to hate you! I'm trying to get you of my life once and for all so that I never have to be hurt by your memory again!" she screamed.

She took a few short breaths, looking at him with eyes, seeking mercy from her horrid state. She walked up to him, tilting her head to the side with a sort of insane little smile. "I love you..." she nodded, still smiling at him. "I love you, I love you, I love you," she repeated quietly and then flung herself around, hurrying towards the ledge of the roof. "Are you happy now? Are you satisfied?" she screamed out to no one. "I admitted it! I love him! I love him even when he lied to me. I love him when he betrayed me. I love him even though I know he has never loved me."

She looked back at him and saw only his thin lips, his pitying eyes on the hysterical girl. "Couldn't you at least be kind enough to be cruel?" she cried. "Couldn't you at least stop torturing me like this and just end it quickly?"

Still, he said nothing and she looked to the multicolored sky. Everything she saw became Malchior in her feverish state of mind. She had lost it, she thought to herself with unusual clarity. She had finally snapped and in front of the young man she so desperately hated and loved. Her sobs took over and thrust her even further into misery, causing a flood of black energy to distort the roof's appearance.

Finally, after a few minutes, she looked back to where Malchior once stood: the wizard was gone and instead, she saw a figure approaching her, the door to tower swinging open with the wind. Raven's red haired friend came closer and closer, her step quickening into flight until finally, she stood before the broken Raven. The wind piked up Starfire's hair and tossed it back and forth gently, adding to the Tamaranean's beauteous appearance. Her green eyes, filled with sympathy, reached out to her friend as did her arms as she wrapped them around Raven.

"Friend, I heard you cry out so I rushed up here to find you." She embraced her crying companion. "What happened?"

"Malchior was here," Raven replied in a somber and steady voice, wiping away the traces of tears.

"Starfire gasped and looked into her eyes, releasing her hold. "And he has injured you?"

"He has always hurt me," she said pulling her glance to the side. "From the day he betrayed me, I have always been injured."

"What happened up here?" Starfire asked.

For a moment, she would not respond as she gazed out into the morning sky. Finally, she turned back towards Starfire with an explanation. "I went to kill him last night. I snuck into the luxury home he and Sagira were staying in. I found out which room was his and looked in," she paused, and saying the next statement in separated syllables, "imagine my astonishment when I saw the terrible Malchior of Nole... crying," she gave a weak smile. "I had been so intent on killing him just moments before but when I saw him, I just couldn't."

"On my planet," Starfire began, "it is dishonorable to kill one when they are off guard in the state of sleeping. Perhaps you felt that it wasn't right to kill him then."

"It's the only way we could have ever of killed him and I really fucked it up," she shook her head. "Because I had to grow a conscience all of a sudden and feel for someone who's never felt for anyone else in his life." she sighed and then clenched her fists. "And you know what? He let me go. He came here to make sure I got home safely. And you know what?" Raven let her fingers relax. "I told him I loved him."

"Oh, Raven-"

"How can you guys trust me? How will you guys ever trust me to kill him now? I let you down so many times before and I'm afraid that I won't be able to keep the promise I made."

"Raven, I believe that you will do what's right," Starfire said sincerely. "Whether it's killing him or letting him love. And you have not let your friends down in the very least."

"I wish I could believe that."

"There is a world to save, Raven. You have contributed to our mission in so many ways. And no one on the team could ask for a better friend."

Without words, Raven thanked her friend with her violet eyes. The two girls sat together on the rooftop until time required them to head down into the central tower room where the planning would begin once more.

**

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"Silver City," Raven spoke in a voice that held no indication of what had happened earlier that day. "Malchior and Sagira will attack Silver City."

The others slipped each other puzzled looks, eying each other from across the room or the couches they sat upon. "How do you know they're going to attack Silver City?" asked Speedy.

"He dropped by this morning and brought the news," she said tonelessly, trying to get through business quickly. "We've got to call in for further reinforcements," Raven declared. "It's the only ting we can do. We'll call them for tomorrow but the only thing we can today is hold them off, weaken them, get rid of some Gostulings, and give em hell." _As much as we possibly can, anyway, _she thought.

"And that is all we can do?" asked Bumblebee.

"For now, it is."

The teenagers looked at one another and exchanged glances. "Well," Robin shrugged, standing up. "To Silver City, it is."

**

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**

The Titans did not bother with intricate tactics as they had last time, though they split themselves up in four groups, each one coming from either the north, south, or west of Silver City. ,Wildebeast, Starfire and the Mas Y Menos took the north; Robin, Aqualad, and Beast Boy took the south;Speedy, Bumblebee, and Raven came from the west; and Hot Spot, Cyborg and Jinx, the east. They would close in on the ferocious dragon and wicked enchantress. This had been their initial plan: However, they had not planned on the incredulous amount of Gostulings they encountered when they journeyed through.

The irrepressible fear immediately captured a response from the trio of the east. Hotspot, Cyborg, and Jinx had certainly expected to deal with Gostulings when they approached Malchior at a closer distance, but they quickly adapted to their sudden situation. Hot Spot engulfed the creatures in fire. Cyborg prepared his cannon which had been filled with paint for the occasion and he sprayed the paint all over the Gostulings in front of him as Jinx hit the ground with her pink discs of sorcery. The road immediately split haphazardly, jagged rocks elevating spontaneously, piercing, the undead creatures. Many came at them with their swords and the two fought them off with their own weapons and surroundings. Things were simple enough so far.

Wildebeast, Starfire and the two twins met up with the Gostulings early as well. At first, the Spanish twins exclaimed a few phrases in their natural tongue darting behind the Tamaranean and clinging onto her legs, but she encouraged them forward with a forceful push. With their inhuman agility, the Mas Y Menos sped through the Gostulings, paintbrush in hand, giving the creatures some "form." Wildebeast ran them over. Starfire hit the Gostulings with her emerald starbolts, a battle cry escaping her lips in rhythmic pants. She and the Mas Y Menos began driving them back and obliterating many.

Having not enough available water, Aqualad was at a slight disadvantage. He sat atop Beast Boy the pterodactyl, using the gun Robin designed to shoot a sticky substance that would attach to the Gostulings. Robin used his sword to slash through the Gostulings where the substance fell and he moved quickly through the crowd of Gostulings.

Raven, Speedy, and Bumblebee had been fighting in a similar manner when they noticed that the creatures turned their backs on them and quickly fled deeper into the city. "They're retreating," said Bumblebee.

"Quickly! Follow them!" Raven exclaimed as she carried Speedy in flight. Bumblebee flew closely beside her as a black dragon and sorceress came into clearer and closer view.

In fact, all of the Gostulings had retreated to their masters in the mid portion of the city. There, the Titans caught sight of each other and prepared for the major battle of the day.

"Looks like we've got company," Sagira smiled to the dragon at her side.

The beast nodded without a comment. Sagira did not notice his change in mood.

"I suppose it's my turn," she flew forward, facing the Titans surrounding her.

Raven attacked her first, coming at her in the air with a flood of debris at her tail. She readied the rocks and parts of buildings so she could hurl them at the blonde sorceress but found herself crashing into an orange forcefield, thrusting her at the objects she was carrying. As Beast Boy and Aqualad caught her after her impact, Starfire came at Sagira with her myriad starbolts. Sagira was no fighter and was not very interesting with her technique: she merely put up a shield to absorb the starbolts as they came at her.

Hot Spot spewed the fire from his fingers at the young woman but she sent them back quickly at Wildebeast and the Mas Y Menos. Robin threw a smoke bomb, covering the area in a thick, gray fog. Scurrying up a building and coming at her from the hind, he was able to take her by surprise and wrap his fingers around her neck. With a cry of irritation, she hurled a glassy at the side of his stomach as she struggled for control, sending him across the air and into the arms of the alien girl.

Cyborg and Jinx bulleted their beams of blue and pink but with not much luck. Sagira put up her shield every time to block their attacks. Bumblebee and Beast Boy (after he had set down Raven and Aqualad) assaulted her from the air but to no avail: Sagira bumped the duo off with her shield as if she held an umbrella to prevent her from getting wet.

Speedy took this opportunity to shoot some arrows at the black dragon who was getting no attention. With a snarl, he lifted a claw and the arrows crashed into each other, creating a mini display of fireworks. The arrows had done nothing but irk him in the slightest manner.

Raven chuckled to herself. "At least Malchior was a bit more creative," she said out loud. Sagira glared at her and flew down to where Raven stood. Raven enjoyed her aggravation, every ounce of it. Did this, perhaps, make her just as evil as they? She continued on, regardless. "All you do is hide behind a shield. If you're going to toy with us, at least do it the proper way."

Sagira sent a gust of wind into Raven's chest, knocking her vigorously onto the asphalt. Though the impact crushed a few of her ribs, she got back on her feet. "All right. Let's see if you can fight without the shield." _And I doubt you can, bitch. _Raven picked up a few cars with her levitation and tossed them at the sorceress. She barely sliced through them with her magic, missing a levitating car bumpers that crashed against her shoulder. Sagira stumbled back, trying to heal herself quickly with her magic, a frenzied look in her eyes. Tearing up the ground beneath the two, Sagira created a long blanket of concrete. With the motion of both her hands, the concrete spun itself around the half-demon girl, tight enough so she couldn't escape but not enough to crush her.

The Titans rushed to her aid but found themselves running at a yellowish shield around Sagira and Raven. The Gostulings suddenly appeared and surrounded themselves around the trapped Titan. Raven swallowed her anxiety and looked upon the sorceress with utmost defiance, even so.

"Sagira, don't let yourself be bothered by this girl," Malchior transformed back, stepping through the forcefield with incredible ease.

"Surely we can afford to kill just one," Sagira's eyes flared. "I'll crush this girl until her organs explode while the Gostulings feed on her carcass."

"Sagira, leave her alone," he said severely, his syllables slow and deliberate.

"Just one, Malchior," she grinned insanely. "Just this bitch."

Suddenly, the Gostulings disappeared from sight. Sagira noticed this instantaneously and tore her eyes away from Raven towards the devoid spaces and then back at Malchior. "Oh yes," Malchior nodded. "They're _all _gone."

"And why, pray tell, have you stopped powering them?" Sagira asked cautiously.

"Actually," he hesitated with a sly smile. "There's this wild party in downtown New Massen and I'd like to conserve my energy."

Sagira dropped her jaw in disbelief so that an egg might fit the outline of her open mouth. She, however, glances back at Raven, and with gritted teeth, began to finish the murder she had started.

But the blanket of black and yellow dropped to the ground, releasing the Titan. Sagira was startled at her lack of power and inability to kill the violet haired girl. She looked back at the white haired wizard and he simply said, "I gave you an order. I told you to leave her alone."

She stared at him for a long time, trying to put the pieces together and sort them out. Finally, she understood, nodding her head her wide eyes glued to the wizard. She nodded, her a voided expression on her face. "I had no idea the Great Dragon would be like this," she looked back towards Raven. "I may not be able to kill you, Malchior, but I'll certainly gain the satisfaction of killing your wench of a girl."

"Yeah? Well you're dead in two seconds anyway," Malchior cocked an eyebrow.

Sagira laughed. "I'd disappear or conjure a shield before you could administer a killing spell."

"You've no magic," Malchior said softly.

"I have a great deal of magic in this staff," she thrust it forward. "_Jegil-"_

Malchior's invisible grip began crushing the young woman as she dropped the staff to the ground and began fight for air. "You should have known better than to trust a dragon. You left your staff with me and I transferred its magic into a smaller orb in which a young maiden smashed it and threw it into the seas. You've had no magic all this time. I provided you with the additional magic when you needed it, but you are helpless and hopeless when you oppose me.

He transformed into the magnificent obsidian scaled beast, snatching Sagira from out of the air. A shower of flames poured from out of his mouth, engulfing the once lovely sorceress. She screamed. Her earsplitting shrieks stabbed through the air and into the ears of the Titans who cringed at the sight before them. Layer after layer of skin melted off her body as she aged within the red, oranges, yellows, whites, and blues of the flames. Her young appearance made an abnormally swift metamorphosis through the forms of a middle aged woman to an elderly crone. The fires stripped her of the sagging flesh until the scarlet color of the muscle and blood outlined the form of the woman. Organs oozed with sickening greens, grays, and oranges while the white bone then dissolved into dust. The Titans shielded their eyes through most of it, some of them throwing up at the ghastly display.

Malchior released his grip on the emptiness and on the hearts of the Titans. Sagira was gone.

He assumed the form of a man once more, approaching the dark girl who still sat on the ground in astonishment. At first, it seemed as if he was helping her to her feet again and then suddenly changed his mind and he embraced the teenage girl, burying his face into her orchid colored hair. She trembled under the warmth of his arms, the proximity of her body against his, as his hands clutched her waist and trailed her back. Her heart was one of a mustang, racing through lands it had never known before and enjoying the exhilaration as Malchior of Nole took her in his arms.

"Do you know how long..." he stammered. "...I've wanted to hold you like this?"

_No, I will not give into this. _She pushed herself out of his hold and then grabbed his shoulders, looking him fervently in the eye. "What the hell have you done? What the hell is going on?"

He seemed to understand that an explanation was needed. "Sagira holds onto life by the power in her staff. I couldn't completely destroy her without extracting the power from it. I had to get a hold of it and the only way was to gain her trust and go along with her plan."

"That is a load of crap," she nodded, her eyes tearing up. "Why would you need to freaking destroy her anyway?"

"To save a lot of trouble," he responded.

"Oh," her eyes widened, her voice twisting into a path of sarcasm. "You sure saved a _ton _of trouble," she motioned to the Titans. "All right. Let's get on home."

Malchior grabbed her hand. "Raven," he said her name this time with gentleness, something she had missed for so long. She nearly fell to her knees at this sound but she looked at him, her expression falling apart. "I wanted to know what it was like to have the world in my hands," he let go of her, turning his palms into his view and then closing them. "I wanted to have the world in my hands and see if it was worth it."

"Worth what?" she ventured, her chest rising and falling fast.

"I would think you, Raven, to be more intelligent than that."

"No, Malchior. Why don't you enlighten me?"

"You, my dear," he wrapped his arms around her, running his hand over her shoulder. "I wanted to know if it was worth you my dear."

"And was it?" How she kept her voice so steady, she'd never know.

"What do you think?" he brushed his soft lips against her cheek.

Her arms crawled around his body, fitting hers against his as she relaxed in his warmth. "You risked your life, my friends' lives, everybody's trust, and my love, just so you could help us defeat her and see if I was worth it?"

"Yes," he nodded against her.

"You fool," she whispered, meting his lips with hers at last. A simple kiss to wash away the sins and tears of yesterday.

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**Actually, I decided to do an epilogue and separate the last chapter into two. But yeah. This was way shorter than I had hoped. I don't even know if I got the right effect out. **

**This is like the first time in three years I have written a happy ending. Hooooooly crap, I'm terrible at em. Especially with the fluff at the end.**

**On to the epilogue, folks. Thanks for reading. **

**Kree**


	11. Epilogue

Malchior helped the Titans greatly in rebuilding the three cities he had ravaged and destroyed over the next two weeks. With his magic and their hard work, the cities were back and running as if nothing had ever happened the week after that.

Titans East, Hot Spot, and Wildebeast returned to their respective homes, receiving the Titans' deepest and warmest gratitude and appreciation. Even Jinx went back to the HIVE, back home to Gizmo and Mammoth. Things would go back to the way they were, the HIVE vs. the Titans, but things were not all the same. After all, Cyborg and Jinx were expressing their feelings from one another in the open, without the secrecy. Fight one morning, movies later that evening.

Malchior did not plan to stay at the Titans Tower. There was much of the world he had not been in for a thousand years he wanted to see and even more to study. He visited frequently, for it was hard for the white haired wizard to stay away and took her with him sometimes. But when he came back for good, there was a room waiting for him, a place in the Tower for a lover, a friend, and quite possibly even a hero. Malchior protested and said that hero's work was far below his level. Still, he had already proven a hero to many; a strange one, but a significant hero to one girl...

All but Beast Boy seemed to be happy with the changes made. Losing a second love hurt just as much as the first.

"Oh yes, the rock girl..." Malchior spoke up. "Well I'll be sure to get her up and about before I leave tomorrow morning."

Perhaps good does triumph over evil.

* * *

**You guys have been fantastic. Sticking with me since October... I cannot understand your patience. But thanks so much for reading and reviewing to the end. **

**It has been fun and enjoyable, writing all sorts of fanfiction. I think I will retire though, unless I slip in a oneshot here or there. **

**May Malchior/Raven goodness spread throughout to all, once again,**

**Kree**


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